Half Me Half You
by CarlaPeterLove
Summary: "Because I realised that by spending all this time trying to make sure she had every thing that I didn't... I've kept her from having the one thing that I wanted most..."
1. Jada Elise

_So I wrote this today and whilst I don't know exactly what I want to happen, I know I want to continue at some point... Let me know your thoughts as always and whether you would like to read more._

 _I guess this first bit is sort of like a prologue..._

* * *

Jada Elise was almost two years old and whilst there weren't a lot of things that she knew about life there were definitely some things that she did know…

She knew that where she lived was very special, it was very sunny and it almost never rained but when it did, she really enjoyed going out and jumping up and down in the big puddles.

She knew that she loved playing on the beach that was practically her back garden and she knew that her Mummy really loved it too, even if Mummy just sat there with her shades on and tried to get "Nice n Brown."

She knew that Mummy loved her very very much and she also knew that she had a Daddy and a big brother. A Daddy that lived far away mind but a Daddy that loved her just as much as Mummy (She knew this because Mummy made sure she told her it, every single day.)

Jada also knew that her Mummy worked very hard at a big office and that was why she had to go to Butterflies four days a week.

Butterflies Day Care was a place of pure joy and Jada loved it there.

Her mother was sceptical at first, leaving the most precious thing in her world, in the care of others wasn't an easy task for any woman but it was especially hard for Jada's Mum, because Jada was one of the only good things that she'd ever done and she was extremely protective of her.

She almost thought against it that first day. She almost called up her new boss and said that she couldn't take the job after all but in the end, she did it. She drove the ten minute or so drive to the Nursery and even though those first few days were full of screaming and tears, it was clear that Jada really did enjoy her time there and that being there was going to be just what she needed.

Jada had been attending Butterflies Monday to Thursday for almost a year now and unless she was ill, her Mum made sure that she was there everyday, to have fun, to play with her new found friends and to learn more about the world that she lived in.

Jada had shoulder length, chocolate brown hair and a smile that matched her father's.

It was cheeky, almost like a ray of sunshine and was the kind of smile that made her mother fall in love with it every single time.

Jada was a cheerful little girl. Carefree and content, just like any twenty three month old should be at that age and apart from the odd tantrum, she was a complete joy to be around... everyone said so, not just her doting mother.

Jada especially loved singing, dancing and drawing, qualities which she had inherited from neither of her parents. Her Mum also couldn't work out where she got her love for books from but she made sure that she read to her, every single night without fail. She also told Jada that her Grandad loved books and that maybe one day they could read a book together.

She went to pick Jada up on a Thursday evening and was greeted at the door by one of Jada's favourite members off staff, who ironically was a man and someone who Jada was probably desperately missing in her life.

His name was George and he was an utter delight. He had dark hair and a cheery disposition, one which seemed to match Jada's personality perfectly.

"Hi Carla… how are you today?" George said, as he walked with Carla towards the Caterpillar room which was were Jada was.

"Good thanks…" Carla nodded with a smile, "Listen Jada's not going to be ere for a couple of weeks… we're on holiday." She said as George opened the door to the Caterpillar room.

"Oh really?" He asked, looking sad as he looked at Jada, who was sat on the floor surrounded by blocks of Duplo, she was building a tower and had a look of serious concentration on her face as she did it. "Awww I'm gonna miss her." George said to Carla as she went over to the pegs which were on the wall. She picked up Jada's bright yellow backpack and matching yellow cardigan and said

"I know… n she'll miss you n all… so much but don't worry we'll be back before you know it." Carla was now smiling at Jada who had gotten up onto her feet and kicked down the tower. She shrieked with glee as the blocks went flying in lots of different directions and one of her peers, who had been playing alongside her laughed too, obviously highly amused at the effect Jada's kick had had on the bricks which were once standing strong in front of them.

"So where are you going? Anywhere nice?" George asked, as Carla came back and stood next him, Jada was jumping up and down excitedly but then she stopped in mid air when she saw that her Mum was in the room.

"Mummy!" She cried, running towards her with her arms flailing. Even though she loved her time as a "Caterpillar", Jada was always thrilled to see her Mum and never wasted a moment in showing her how pleased she was to see her.

"Hi baby!" Carla cried, bending down so that her little girl could run right into her arms. "I missed you."

"Missed you." Jada nodded, brushing her nose against her mother's and then putting her head onto her chest. Carla held her close as she felt her daughters tiny arms go as far around her body as far as they could.

The weather in L.A was still rather decent, even in November so Jada was dressed in a pair of light blue jeans and a white T-Shirt as her Mum put on her cardigan and told her to say goodbye to her friends because she wasn't going to see them for a while.

As Jada got down to give some adorable hugs to her little companions, Carla explained to George about where they were going and that she was sure they would be back in two weeks. George and the other Caterpillar staff also said their goodbyes to Jada and on the way out of the building, she looked up at her Mum and asked,

"Mummy where we going?" Now this wasn't because Jada thought that something was up, it wasn't because she had noticed her mother's nervous tone or because she had heard, George wish them a safe flight but it was because asking that question was a part of her routine.

Each time Carla picked her up, Jada would ask _where they were going_ and sometimes her Mum would say that they were going home, sometimes she'd say they were going to see Auntie Susie or sometimes she would say they were going to the beach or the park but today... well today Carla couldn't say any of that.

Today she said,

"We're going to go on a plane baby."

"Plane?" Jada repeated as her Mum picked her up so that she could carry her over to her car safely.

"Yes… a plane… you've never been on one of those before ave you darlin?" Carla said, unlocking her car door before putting little Jada into her car seat. Jada shook her head at her Mum as she closed the door and left her for a moment to ponder about this Plane that she knew went high up in the sky.

"Susie coming in the plane?" Jada asked, as her Mum opened the door to the drivers seat and got in.

"No… Auntie Susie isn't coming… just me n you babe." Carla said, "But guess what, we're going all the way to England… so that means you can see Auntie Chelle… would you like that?"

"Yes please." Jada nodded precociously, she knew Auntie Chelle from her Mummy's ipad and computer and she liked talking to her very much.

"And also…" Carla said anxiously, "You can also see Daddy… if you want."

"Daddy?" Jada repeated, her green eyes were now wide at the mention of this person that she had heard of so many times but had never actually met… well not by her recollection anyway.

"Yes Jada… we're going to see Daddy." Carla said, and with that she started the engine.

She took a deep breath, before she lifted the hand break and began to drive towards the airport.

She passed her and Jada's home on the way there and even though a huge part of her wanted to forget all about this stupid idea, She kept her nerve knowing that it was time for her to go back.

It had been almost two years since she had left, two years since she had given birth and since he had promised her that he would stay by her side... both of their sides in fact.

Two years since he had promised, he'd do better, two years since he almost immediately broke that promise and two years since Carla had decided to leave Weatherfield for good.

She couldn't stay, not if he was going to start letting her down again, not now there was something so precious that now depended on them both.

She wasn't sure what exactly it was that had made her decide that now was the right time to go back there... for a visit not for good, definitely not for good.

She just decided this morning and booked their flights.

She just walked into her boss' office and ask for two weeks off which he granted because since she had been there a year, she hadn't taken a single day of holiday.

She had then gone home, packed a suitcase for her and a little Minnie Mouse one for Jada, who had no idea that she was going to get another stamp in her pretty much unused passport.

She wasn't sure what what happened when they arrived.

She wasn't sure what he would say when she got there or even if they would be welcome.

From what Michelle had told her, a hell of a lot had changed since she had left and she wasn't sure if going back was going to be something that she would soon come to regret.

There was only one thing right now that Carla was sure of... It was time for Jada Elise Barlow... to see her father again.


	2. Home

**_Thank you to everyone who reviewed this... :)_**

* * *

 _"_ _We can do this… Carla we can… I promise you… me n you can raise her… we can be happy."_

 _She believed him._

 _When their new born baby had just been placed into her arms and when he was sat by her side with tears pouring down his cheeks, she truly believed that this would be the making of him._

 _She believed him when he said that Tina was just a blip, a mistake and that he would never ever hurt her again._

 _She believed him when he said he was now a changed man, that the birth of his daughter had made him see just how precious his life was and that he would never ever drink again._

 _She believed him._

 _She hung on every single word that he said to her and so that was why she just couldn't believe that night when he had come home so steaming drunk._

 _Jada was only three days old._

 _Three days it took him, just three days to break every single promise he'd made to her at that hospital._

 _That first time he'd come home like it he told her it wouldn't happen again._

 _The time where he stumbled into their flat and said that he was sorry, that it was just a slip-up and that he was going to get help… well she believed him that time too._

 _She believed him because he told her that he was finding it hard to deal with everything, the new baby and getting out of prison only a month ago._

 _He told her that being convicted of murder had really affected him in ways that she just couldn't understand._

 _She believed him because she really wanted it to work for the three of them._

 _She believed him because she wanted them to make it._

 _It only took until the third time that he came home drunk, that time he crashed into their coffee table and flew to the ground for Carla to see that they just wouldn't make it._

 _Blood poured from his head as he lay on the ground motionless and the sight of it made Carla so scared that she just started screaming out loud._

 _Her ear piercing screams attracted the attention of Tracy who was downstairs in the second hand shop and who had come running._

 _She saw Peter on the floor, knocked out. She saw a distraught Carla with a shrieking baby in her arms and even though they hadn't spoken since Carla had ruined her wedding, Tracy got her act together and helped her out._

 _Tracy had to, that crying baby in Carla's shaking arms was her niece after all._

 _Tracy called an Ambulance and stayed with Carla and Jada until it came and took Peter away._

 _He had actually woken up by the time they had arrived but Carla refused to speak to him let alone let Jada anywhere near him._

 _Carla could barley breathe as Peter stood before her with blood trickling down his face._

 _Even though Jada was only five days old and wouldn't remember a thing, Carla turned her away from her father and covered her head carefully so that she wouldn't be able to see._

 _Even though Jada couldn't really see Peter it made Carla feel a little better to know that she was protecting her from it._

 _Carla didn't want Jada to be like her._

 _She had grown up in a house where she had seen things that no child should have seen._

 _She had grown up in a house hearing sounds that still haunted her in her sleep._

 _She had grown up in a house where alcohol was abused, amongst other substances and there was no way on this earth that Carla was going to let the same thing happen to Jada._

 _No way._

 _Whether it was the pressures of prison mixed with being a father again, she didn't care anymore… she just had to made sure that she and Jada got out of that kind of environment and fast._

 _Whilst Peter had his head examined in the hospital with his disappointed father and sister by his side, Carla was at home packing her and Jada's bags._

 _She packed all the little gifts that Jada had been bought or made by various friends and family._

 _The little pink blanket that had been sewed together by Emily, the little white booties that had been crocheted by Deirdre, the toy lion that Peter had bought her from the Disney store that was way too big for a newborn and everything else that she thought Jada might need was thrown into the pink plaid changing bag and zipped up tight._

 _Carla then went across the road to stay with Roy Cropper, the husband of her beloved dead best friend._

 _It wasn't the most ideal situation of course, Roy wasn't a natural when it came to new born babies and Jada's cries were definitely going to keep him up at night but Carla didn't have anywhere else to go._

 _Of course, Michelle had offered the pub as a place for Carla and Jada to stay, she begged and she pleaded in fact but Carla said no._

 _She said no because she was breastfeeding Jada and during these most trying times, Carla was doing her hardest to stay away from alcohol so staying at the pub would certainly not be a good idea._

 _It didn't take long for Peter to get home of course, his injuries were just superficial and he was driven home by his Dad, who had read him the riot act for getting so drunk and told him that he really needed to buck up his ideas or else._

 _It was too late._

 _Peter knew they were gone from the moment that he stepped into his dark and empty flat._

 _The flat felt cold, as if all the love that it had once been filled with had been sucked out of it and as Peter turned the lights on he saw that Jada's Moses basket was missing, so were her tiny little clothes, her nappies, everything, along with a lot of Carla's stuff too._

 _"_ _No… no… no." he cried in pure panic mode._

 _Peter left his flat within seconds and marched right across the street to the Pub where he was sure Carla would be._

 _Michelle told Peter that he was wasting his time and that Carla wasn't there but he didn't believe her._

 _He didn't believe her so he checked._

 _He steamed his way around The Rover's Return and checked every room with Michelle right behind him._

 _After checking the last room and realising that Carla was nowhere to be seen Peter finally believed Michelle when she said,_

 _"I'm telling ya Peter, they aren't ere!"_

 _It didn't take him all but five minutes to realise where else Carla could be and he was thumping on Roy's door loudly within the next minute._

 _Carla sighed and tried to ignore it._

 _She tried to get Roy to ignore it too but he wouldn't and eventually he went and answered the door._

 _Peter flew straight past Roy and ran up the stairs to find Carla sat on the sofa with Jada in her arms. She got up and as Roy came into the room, she gave Jada to him. She then asked Roy to take Jada into the bedroom so she and Peter could talk._

 _"_ _Carla… what... are you doing ere?" he asked, looking like a state with stitches on his head and trembling from his alcohol withdrawals because he had pretty much sobered up from all those hours at the hospital and from the coffees that his Dad had been making him drink._

 _"_ _Why d'ya think I'm ere Peter? I can't do this… we can't do this." Carla began, speaking as calmly as she could because she knew that from now on… she had to remain that way._

 _She had a baby to look after now._

 _Someone who depended on her and only her and that made Carla feel strong, even if she didn't necessary look it._

 _"_ _Yes… yes we can Carla… we can do it." Peter said, nodding as he spoke as if he was trying to assure himself of that fact as well as Carla._

 _"_ _Actually… let me rephrase that… You can't do this." She said._

 _"_ _Yes… I can." Peter said, still nodding and looking totally petrified about what was to come. "The drinking… it's just because I've been finding everything so hard lately…"_

 _"_ _And what d'ya think it's been like for me eh?" Carla asked, "Peter, I don't sleep, I don't eat, I don't do anything but look after our baby girl and worry about you… I would love to just walk out of ere n get wasted on a few bottles of wine but I don't and d'ya know why? Because I ave a responsibility now."_

 _"_ _We Carla… We… ave a responsibility…I can be a good Dad…" Peter began but he was quickly interrupted._

 _"_ _You can't be a good father to that baby in there Peter…" Carla shook her head, "Look at the state of you… your head was practically sliced open tonight, you're covered in bruises from when you fell over the other night due to being so drunk and you're going through alcohol withdrawals as we speak… you're in no fit state to be a Dad to that little girl."_

 _"_ _Carla just give me a chance…" Peter said, moving closer to her and trying to take hold of her hand. "Come back home and we'll talk some more…"_

 _"_ _Are you mad? I can't live with you… Peter I can barley look at ya right now… I can't sit there with our baby and wonder if every time that you go out that you might come back paralytic or worse… that you might not come back at all… what kind of life is that for me to lead eh? What kind of life is that for your daughter to live?' Carla cried, tears were fighting their way through her eyes as she backed away from Peter and then shook her head. "We're not coming home… it's over… get used to it."_

 _"_ _No… no it's not!" Peter cried, his own tears spilling down his cheeks. "It's not over… you can't do this… I need to be with you both…. Please Carla… I'll get help… I'll do anything."_

 _"_ _Yeah n how many times ave I heard that eh?" Carla sobbed, wiping her nose and shaking her head again._

 _"_ _Do you want me to beg?" Peter asked, getting down on his knees in front of Carla and putting his hands together._

 _"_ _Peter… don't" Carla sniffed as the sound of Jada's cries came from the bedroom that Roy had taken her into. "Peter get up."_

 _"_ _No… Carla I won't lose you and Jada… I can't… I can't be without you both… I don't know how to be without you..." Peter cried, getting up off the floor and shaking his head as he sobbed._

 _"_ _It's too late Peter…" Carla said as Jada's screams became louder. "She's crying… I ave to go to her… we'll talk about this another time… just go."_

 _"_ _No!" Peter shouted, unpredictably and in a way that made Carla jump. "I'm not going… not without her… Let me see her... now Carla."_

 _"_ _No Peter." Carla said, standing her ground._

 _"_ _What? Don't you trust me with her or something?" Peter asked, clearly hurt that Carla could be thinking like this and clearly devastated that he was responsible for all of this hurt in her life._

 _"_ _No… I don't not when you're like this." Carla began, but this only made him more upset and angrier._

 _"_ _Carla!" He cried moving closer to her and out of sheer desperation grabbing hold of her by her arms. "Please let me see her!" he begged, unintentionally digging his nails into her arms and praying that she'd see how much he needed his daughter in his life._

 _"_ _No…" She cried, "Don't you see? This is why I can't ave Jada around you right now." She knew Peter wasn't going to physically hurt her, not on purpose anyway but she didn't trust him to act rationally either._

 _Make no mistake here she still loved Peter like mad._

 _Saying all of this to him broke her heart but it was all stuff that he desperately needed to hear._

 _She loved him with every single bone in her body... she just loved Jada more._

 _This baby girl, the one that she had almost lost after finding out about Peter's affair, well she was the most important thing in Carla's life and she would be damned if she was going to let Jada live in a world like this. A world where Peter could be so unpredictable, a world where alcohol was still concerned and a world where she wouldn't be able to promise Jada that her Daddy would be home at a decent time._

 _"_ _Peter…. Please…" Carla closed her eyes, her eyelashes spiked with tears._

 _Peter let go of her quickly and stared down at the hands that he'd just had on each one of her arms._

 _He was stunned._

 _He shook his head, as if he was in shock of what he'd just done, as if it was a complete out of body experience and that he had just watched himself do it._

 _"_ _I'm sorry." He said, sniffing hard and backing away from Carla. He was shaking but this time she couldn't tell if was the lack of alcohol or the shock of the situation that they were now in._

 _"_ _Peter…" She began, actually softening towards him now because she could see how troubled he was and how ashamed but he stumbled out of Roy's flat as fast as he could._

 _Carla wondered when she would see Peter again, she didn't have to wonder for long because there he was, outside Roy's the next morning._

 _He was once again, thumping on the door and when Carla opened the window, she could see that he'd definitely spent the night drinking. He was shouting and making a real scene._

 _He was saying that he would never ever give up on getting Carla and Jada back and that she would never be able to get rid of him._

 _He said that he would wait there forever if he had too._

 _Carla closed the window and found Roy stood near by, he said not to worry and that Peter would eventually go home… that he would eventually accept that it was over._

 _Peter did go home, he had to because his Dad and Sister had intervened but he didn't accept that it was over._

 _He came back every day and made more and more noise._

 _He made it so that the entire street knew that he wasn't going to give up on his daughter and that he wouldn't leave Carla alone until she let him see Jada._

 _She didn't blame him of course, in fact if he hadn't fought so hard then she would have been very disappointed in him but the fact that he still seemed to be drinking plagued her with fear and made her want to start on the booze herself._

 _It was soon beginning to become very difficult for Carla to do anything other than stay in and she knew that Jada needed to get used to some fresh air._

 _The thing is, going out meant having to deal with him._

 _When she would take Jada for walks Peter would be there. He'd be begging to hold Jada, to kiss her and hug her but Carla could see that he wasn't stable enough to do it alone._

 _After a few more days of trying, Carla eventually let Peter have Jada at the flat one afternoon, so long as Ken promised to be there. She knew that Ken would keep an eye on things and he did._

 _It was when Carla went to pick Jada up that the problems began._

 _Peter refused to let her in._

 _He said Carla had no right to keep him from his daughter._

 _He said he'd been through it with Simon and that he wasn't going through it again._

 _Ken assured Carla that Jada was okay but she was distraught._

 _She wanted her baby back and stopped at nothing until she got her._

 _"_ _Peter! Let me in! Let me in right now!"_

 _She banged and banged on the door to her and Peter's old flat and was getting increasing upset as he continued to ignore her calls._

 _In the end… Nick Tilsey had been passing by and had seen how distraught Carla was._

 _She was in tears and asked him to do something._

 _Well, she more like screamed it._

 _"_ _Please Nick… I'm begging ya! Help me… do something… anything."_

 _So Nick did._

 _He took one step back and booted down the door to Peter's flat within seconds. He then followed Carla upstairs where Peter was sat on the sofa with Jada and Ken._

 _"_ _What the hell is wrong with you?" Carla cried, reaching out for her daughter with tears still streaming down his face._

 _"_ _Carla…" Peter said, standing up and holding Jada close to him. He saw the look on her face, he saw how worried she was. "She's okay… she's fine."_

 _"_ _Just give her to me Peter…" Carla said, trembling as Ken and Nick stood by and watched._

"Peter." His Dad warned, sighing and nodding towards Carla.

 _Peter knew he was defeated and gave Jada back to Carla... not knowing that this was going to be the last time that he would be seeing his child for almost two years._

 _It was Christmas Eve when Carla left Weatherfield for California._

 _She didn't tell anyone other than Michelle that she was going._

 _She couldn't risk it._

 _She didn't want to go but she saw no other option._

 _Peter's little stunt had made her scared that he might try it again so… she had to make sure she went before he did._

 _She had applied for a passport for Jada the moment she was born, just in case she needed it and as it came on December twenty third, Carla took it as a sign._

 _She had to go._

 _She knew that Christmas was probably not the best time for it but she also knew that it was now or never._

 _That she'd be able to get away now whilst Peter was distracted with Simon and the rest of his family._

 _She had got to the airport before Peter found out where she was._

 _Michelle had accidentally told Steve and he had told Peter who of course, phoned Carla instantly._

 _"_ _Carla… you listen to me and you listen good… you cannot do this… you cannot take my baby thousands of miles away you just can't… I won't let you." Peter said, he was getting in a cab at the time, one that was going to race him to the airport and hopefully get him there in time._

 _What Peter didn't know was that Carla was in the departure lounge and that her flight was due for boarding in minutes._

 _There was no way he'd be able to get a ticket and get through security in time._

 _Carla told him all this but Peter still refused to turn back._

 _"_ _I don't care… I follow you out there… I'll follow you both… I won't give up Carla… I'll fight everyone and anyone who tells me I can't be a part of Jada's life." Peter said._

 _"_ _Go ahead! You do that!" Carla hissed into her phone, Jada was sleeping next to her and she didn't want to cause too much of a scene as there were lots of people nearby who would probably be able to hear the conversation. "Peter there is not a court on this earth that would allow you to have custardy of Jada and you know it."_

 _"_ _You can't do this to me… Please Carla, It's Christmas… don't do this…"_

 _"_ _Yes I can… I ave to Peter… she deserves more than this… she deserves more than you."_

 _"_ _Please Carla… I'm begging you come back… I can't live without you..." Peter cried, she could practically hear how heartbroken he was in his voice and a part of her almost said that she would come back but when she looked down at the beautiful baby that was in the Moses basket, she just couldn't do it._

 _"_ _I'm so sorry Peter…" Carla said, as the doors to the board the plane opened and her seat number was called. "I'm going now… We're going now... I'll send you pictures… I'll tell her all about you… She's got that Lion you bought her... I'll tell her that her Daddy loves her… I promise." Carla said hoarsely, before hanging up and switching off her phone. She picked up her sleeping daughter and began to board the plane, telling herself that one-day her and Jada would be back._

Two years later…

"Mummy!" Jada cried, craning her neck and staring out the window as Carla leant over and fastened her seatbelt.

The plane that they were on was beginning on it's decent into Manchester airport and the pilot had pressed the fasten seat belt sign.

"Look Mummy!" Jada cried, "Fluffy clouds... Simba see!"said the twenty three month old, lifting up her most favourite and oldest cuddly toy, which was the young lion called Simba and waving it at the window. "Mummy look!"

"I know baby…" Carla nodded, smiling down and kissing her daughter who had seemed pretty much unfazed for most of the flight, Carla took a deep breath and then said, "We're home."


	3. Daddy

The last time Michelle Connor had seen her best friend in person was almost six months ago now. She had visited Carla and Jada in California sometime in June and had stayed there for two weeks. They had a really pleasant time together in the sunshine and Michelle adored seeing how much Carla and Jada clearly loved their life out in the states.

Jada was just starting to talk back then and with each word she said, Carla's face lit up and she beamed with pride.

Michelle took great pleasure in seeing how much Carla had really taken to being a mother and even though she missed her like crazy, Michelle knew that moving to L.A was definitely the right choice for her friend.

She knew that Jada was one of the happiest one and a half year olds that she had ever seen and she knew that Carla was doing okay.

Only okay though.

Yes she was smiling again, smiling like Michelle had never seen her smile before but Michelle could also see the tiny hint of sadness in Carla's eyes, the one that so clearly said that a part of her hated being away from Weatherfield, away from her home and also away from Peter.

Upon getting back to Manchester, Michelle was practically hounded by him the moment she had stepped out of the cab. He knew where she had been, he had heard it from her husband whilst he was in the Pub and the thought of someone being able to spend so much time with Carla and Jada so easily when he couldn't almost broke him.

Michelle looked at Peter with sympathy as he approached her and couldn't help but stare into his tired brown eyes. He always looked so tired these days, like he wasn't getting much sleep and like his life was totally beating him down.

At first he had a thousand questions to ask, he wanted to know everything about his child and how she was turning out but in the end the only thing he could actually ask was,

"Is she happy?"

"Yes…" Michelle replied, "She's happy." Peter nodded woefully and then walked away without another word. Michelle watched him as he slowly made his way back to Barlow's Buys where he was working and helping out Tracy and she guessed that it was probably too hard for him to ask anything else.

It was probably easier for Peter not to know too much about Jada because the more he knew about her, the more he would probably miss her.

Later on that week when she was talking to Carla on Skype, Michelle thought about mentioning Peter, she thought about just generally dropping his name into the conversation she was having but in the end she didn't and this was because she didn't want Carla to feel sad, guilty and responsible for any pain in Peter's life.

When Carla had first moved to L.A she'd ask about Peter everyday, it was clear to Michelle that she was worried about him and that she felt terrible for taking away his child. She'd cry and tell Michelle to tell Peter she was sorry at first but eventually over time, those really sad moments stopped.

Eventually Carla stopped looking like she wanted to burst into tears every time she logged into Skype and she started looking like her old self again. Their conversations would sometimes last for hours and the last one they'd had which was a few days ago, Carla had even mentioned that she had a date later on in the week. Michelle was rather surprised to hear that Carla had a date, especially since she hadn't mentioned a man since she had even got to Los Angeles but she was happy for her all the same.

Michelle was happy to hear that Carla was moving on and she couldn't wait to call her after the date and find out all of the gossip, so the last thing she was expecting whilst walking down Coronation Street at Six pm on a Friday night, was to see a black taxi pull up and then to see her best friend get out of it.

"Oh…" Michelle said quietly. She blinked as if she maybe thought she was seeing things. She watched as a light brown haired Carla, who was dressed in a black leather jacket, black jeans and black boots, reach into the cab and then bring out Jada before paying the driver.

"Come on baby… we're finally ere." Carla said as her almost two year old gazed at her new surroundings. She was also dressed in black jeans and black boots but she was wearing a fluffy black jumper instead of a jacket and was clutching Simba underneath one arm. The cab driver had gotten out of the taxi and went around the back to get out their suitcases as Michelle screamed,

"Oh my god Carla!" Carla laughed as turned around with Jada in her arms and as Michelle ran towards them.

"Auntie Chelle!" Jada shouted, remembering her from the many many conversations she'd had with her over the Internet.

"Hi Jada… Oh my god, What are ya doing ere?" Michelle cried as she threw her arms around the both of them.

"Surprise." Carla said as the cab driver smiled at them both and then got back into his car.

"Surprise!" Jada copied sweetly. Michelle laughed and kissed Jada on the forehead.

"Oh Carla…" Michelle said as Carla let her take Jada off her and give her a cuddle. "Oh she's grown up so much."

"I know… you don't ave to tell me that..." Carla smiled as Jada's little arms went around Michelle's neck. "The little madame's getting well heavy."

"I can't believe you're here… why didn't you tell me you were coming?" Michelle said as Carla took hold her suitcase and Jada's also.

"Well I wanted it to be a surprise as I said n besides… if I'm honest this were just a snap decision. I just booked me and Jada a flight." Carla sighed, biting her lip. She then smiled at Jada who was waving Simba in Michelle's face excitedly. "It's only for a few weeks."

"Where you staying?" Michelle asked, after kissing Simba on his soft cheek and making Jada chuckle.

"No idea." Carla shrugged, "I guess I aven't actually thought that far ahead."

"Well you don't ave to, you can stay at the pub." Michelle smiled as Jada yawned. "Carla this is so amazing. I can't believe you've come back..." Then Michelle's eyes widened, as if she had totally forgotten about Jada's father and that he lived a minute or so away. "Wait… does… Peter know you're ere?"

"No… that's actually what I were planning to do next… I mean I'd love to sit n catch up with you but I need to see him… Jada needs to see him and I wanna do it before he hears I'm back from someone else y'know." Carla said starting to get worried now.

"Of course." Michelle nodded, as Jada rested her head against Michelle's chest, tiredly.

"I… errr wanna see how he's doing first… y'know…. Is he still at the bookies flat?" Carla asked, still calling it the bookies flat out of habit even though the shop hadn't been a bookmaker's for years.

"Yeah he is..." Michelle said as Carla took a deep breath.

"N… how is he? Like how is he doing n stuff?" She asked, finding it strange to talk about Peter to Michelle because other than Jada, Carla didn't talk about Peter to anyone.

"He's… coping. He has good days and bad days y'know. I saw him this morning in the café, he were alright." Michelle said, she watched Carla nod and then said, "Babe do you want me to come with you?"

"No…" Carla said licking her lips nervously and shaking her head. "I mean if you could… maybe watch Jada for me… just whilst I talk to him for a bit."

"Sure." Michelle said, "How about you come and put your stuff in the pub and then you can go and talk to Peter."

Carla nodded and her and Jada walked with Michelle to the pub, where a stunned Steve let them both inside. Michelle told him to say absolutely nothing to anyone about this as they crept through the back of the pub and after another little chat with Michelle Carla bent down and said,

"Jada… Mummy is going to go out for a minute is that okay?" Jada was sat on the floor playing with Simba and looked up at her Mum with confusion as she spoke to her.

"My want to come." Jada said, making Michelle smile at her choice of words.

"Baby I wont be long… I'm just going to get someone for you… I'm going to get… Daddy." Carla said, trying not to let how anxious she was, show for her daughters sake.

"Daddy…" Jada repeated, looking down at Simba and then back up at Carla.

"Yeah… Daddy. I'm going to go and get him and then we'll be right back okay… you can stay with Auntie Chelle alright?"

Jada nodded at her Mum although Carla could tell her almost two year old was a little sceptical about the whole situation.

"Good Luck." Michelle said, as Carla kissed Jada on the head.

"Thanks." Carla gulped and then she left the back room of The Pub before she changed her mind.

The walk from The Rover's to Peter's flat was ridiculously short and Carla couldn't help but wish that it was longer. As she crossed the road she took another deep breath and thought about how Peter was going to react.

The last time she had seen him was when Jada was a week old and when he had refused to give her back and here she was right outside that very same flat and her heart was literally pounding as pressed the buzzer.

"Ello…" Carla swallowed hard as she heard the sound of Peter's voice come from the speaker and she almost didn't speak, she almost ran away but she knew that she had to do this for her daughter's sake as well as her own. Peter's voice then came again, "Ello… is anyone there?"

"It's me…" Carla said awkwardly, wondering if she would have to explain who "me" was.

Of course, she didn't.

He knew.

There was a pause and then a sharp breath on the other side of the buzzer before the door suddenly opened to let Carla up. She bit her lip and walked up the stairs to the flat she had once shared some many happy moments in and the door swung open before she could even think about what was happening.

He was almost out of breath as he stood before her.

He was dressed in his trademark T-Shirt and jeans combo and had a beard that almost drove Carla crazy to look at. She had always loved Peter with beard and couldn't help shamefully look him up and down as he stared at her. She could see he was clearly taken aback to see her and gave him a nervous smile when her eyes finally met his.

"Hi." Carla breathed, looking at Peter as he clung onto the doorframe.

Just from one look she could see that Peter was stone cold sober and that his tight grip on the door was to just to keep him standing due to the shock of seeing Carla being stood there.

He swallowed and stared at Carla as she breathed rigidly.

"Where is she?" he asked.

Carla didn't have to ask who he meant. She knew he was talking about Jada.

"With Michelle… can I come in?" Carla asked, moving forwards as Peter shook his head.

"Michelle? You've left my little girl with a woman she barley knows instead of bringing her ere to see me?" Peter said, his tone of voice was getting angrier by the minute.

"Well first of all Jada does know Michelle, she speaks to her all the time on Skype." Carla said, she saw the look on Peter's face and then said, "And don't you dare look at me like that because I asked you if you wanted to speak to her last year and you said no."

"You know I said no because there was no way that I wanted to see my kid for the first time in a year on a flaming computer screen! I couldn't do it… I wasn't strong enough." Peter said, "Anyways that still doesn't explain why she is with Michelle… I mean why didn't you just bring her here with you?"

"I wanted to come and check that you were in a fit state of mind before bringing her ere." Carla explained, pushing past Peter now and walking into the flat.

"Well I'm fine... look at me... now go and get her." Peter said, following Carla inside but not closing the door. She looked at the flat she had once lived in and couldn't understand how it looked exactly the same as it had done when she had left it, except for the fact that it was slightly tidier than normal.

"Can we talk first?" Carla asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No." Peter said sternly, shaking his head. "I want to see her Carla… I've been waiting for this moment ever since you took her away from me."

"I know you ave…" Carla began but Peter wasn't done yet.

"No you don't!" He cried, "You ave no idea what I've gone through these past two years… you took her Carla… you took our baby and you didn't come back." Peter's voice cracked as he stood in front of Carla, she nodded sympathetically at him and as he wiped a tear from his eye she moved closer to him.

"Peter… I'm sorry." She said softly, reaching out and trying to take his hand. He pulled it away from her instantly and shook his head but when she tried again he let her take hold of him. "I am so sorry that I took her away but I did what I had to do at the time... It wasn't ideal and you're right I can even begin to understand what you have gone through."

"Why now?" Peter asked, "Why ave you come back? What's different?" he was staring at Carla in anguish, clearly in so much pain and she had to look away from him for a moment so that she didn't burst into tears her self. When she looked back at him again she decided to be honest about things.

"When I gave birth I made a promise to myself that I wasn't going to put Jada through the shit my Mum put me through, I wasn't going to let her grow up like I did… I wasn't going to let her grow up in a house with two alcoholics and I say two because they way things were going between the pair of us before I left there was only an amount of time before I were going to end up hitting the bottle as well." Carla explained, trying to stay composed although all she wanted to do was join Peter in tears.

"Right… but again you're not answering my question… why now?" He asked hoarsely.

"Because I realised that by spending all this time trying to make sure she had everything I didn't… I've kept her from having the one thing I wanted most." Carla explained, a tear finally running down her cheek as Peter said,

"And what's that?"

"You…" Carla sniffed, "A Dad… she needs you Peter… she's really excited to see you."

"Really." Peter coughed, his face softening as he wiped his eye with his free hand and as he tried not to break down pathetically in front of Carla.

"Yes." She nodded, smiling at him in a way he'd never seen before. It was a smile that showed how proud she was, of their daughter and of herself for raising her so well. "She knows who you are… I showed her pictures of ya, I've told her all about you… and she carries around that Simba toy you bought, religiously."

"The one I got the day after she was born… she still has it…" Peter asked stunned, then he smiled remembering how big of a toy it was for a new born and how he had gone slightly overboard in buying it for her in the first place.

"Of course… it took her a while to be able to pick it up mind…" Carla said with a chuckle, making Peter laugh too. "But seriously Peter… She loves that thing… she won't go to sleep without it, the whole way here he was in her arms."

"Was it her first time on a plane?" Peter asked, in awe that he was stood in front of Carla and able to ask her these questions about the daughter he had missed so much over the past twenty-two months.

"Yeah… it were." Carla said, "She sat next to the window Peter... She were so brave, she looked a bit concerned when we first got on it but she wasn't fazed at all… she were totally calm… even during the turbulence, when I was pretty much bricking it."

"Wow." Peter gasped, with more tears falling from his eyes as Carla spoke and he had to sit down on the sofa behind them just so he could try and calm himself down.

"Do you wanna come n see her then?" Carla said, watching Peter as he took a deep breath.

"Wait…" Peter sniffed, "Just give me a minute yeah..."

"Alright." Carla nodded, sitting down next to him.

They weren't touching but it was the closest Carla and Peter had been in almost two years.

They would both be lying if they said that they weren't fighting the urge to not kiss each other stupidly, angrily and because they had honestly missed each other like mad.

Instead they sat in silence for a few minutes until, Peter said,

"I tried y'know…" Carla, who had been looking down at her hands turned to face him and said,

"What?"

"I tried to get you back... to come out there… to find you both." Peter began, "I made sure I stuck about on Christmas Day for Simon's sake and then on Boxing Day I went to the airport and took a flight to L.A."

"Really?" Carla asked, stunned by this news because obviously Peter hadn't actually made it to where she was staying in L.A.

"Yeah… but obviously I didn't have a visa so when I got there I wasn't actually let past security and I was sent right back ere." Peter said with sigh.

"Wow… Peter... why didn't you tell me this when I called you that night?" Carla asked, referring to when she had called Peter after the New Year and he had just spent the entire time shouting at her and telling her that she had to come right back. He was so angry and adamant that in the end Carla just hung up on him instead.

"I dunno…" Peter shrugged, "I was angry… really angry. I tried to get a Visa but of course with my previous convictions they wouldn't let me… I tried to appeal but it was denied…. I knew then that that was it. I knew I'd never be able to get out there to see you and it made me so angry that when I heard your voice all I could do was shout… I was in a real bad place then…" Peter said, but then he quickly added, "but I'm not anymore."

"I know…" Carla nodded but she was completely sure that he was totally fine with everything. She was sure that he was only staying so calm because there was a chance for him to see Jada and she was right because after being without his daughter for so long, he'd be stupid to mess this up. "Come on… let's go… eh, she's waiting for us." Carla said, getting up off the sofa. Peter took one last breath and nodded before getting up too and leaving his flat with Carla.

They walked in silence across the street as various people were on their way home from work or on their way out also.

Carla could tell that she was being stared at as she walked along side Peter and she knew that these next few weeks weren't going to be easy for her. She was sure lots of people had a lot to say on her leaving but for now she didn't care, because now she was going to finally give her daughter the one thing she couldn't give her back in L.A.

Her Daddy.

As they approached the back door of The Rover's Peter stopped and took a moment to gather all of his emotions together, Carla stopped too and looked back at him as she said,

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah… Yeah I'm fine." He nodded, swallowing and moving forwards again because nothing was going to stop this moment for him.

Carla knocked on the back door of the pub and it was opened by Steve, who gave Peter a smile because he knew just how long Peter had been waiting for this sort of thing to happen.

He had been very supportive and tried to help Peter as much as he could when Carla and Jada had first left.

Steve had been the one to help Ken out and sit by his side as Peter battled with the idea of maybe never seeing his little girl or Carla again.

He had heard Peter speak about seeing Jada and Carla again so many times and now Steve couldn't be happier to see his best mate walk into the back room where his little girl was sat waiting for him.

"Jada…" Carla said as she and Peter both entered the back room, where Michelle and Jada were sat playing with some toys she had brought in her suitcase.

Peter's heart thudded in his chest as the little girl who was had her back to him, spun around at the sound of her mother's voice.

He had seen pictures.

Carla had made sure she sent him one each week or so in an email that was titled, _Jada_.

She sent one of Jada walking for the first time, her first tooth, her first day at nursery and even though they weren't in contact she really did want Peter to be a part of his daughters life so she always made sure he had a recent photo of his daughter to look at.

He had seen pictures but they were nothing compared to seeing his little girl in person.

"Mummy!" Jada cried as she towards Carla who bent down and put an arm around her. Peter couldn't help but well up again at the precious sound of his daughter's voice.

A sound he had never ever heard before and sound that he would treasure forever.

He couldn't believe how beautiful Jada was, he also couldn't work out how she looked like him yet somehow just like Carla too and especially as her eyes were the exact same shade of green as hers.

"Baby… he's here." Carla said, down at Jada's level and pointing up to Peter.

He smiled a nervous yet welcoming smile as Jada's eyes started at his feet and went all the way up his body. When her eyes met his she simply smiled shyly and said,

"Daddy..."


	4. Everything

When he woke up the morning Peter Barlow would never have believed that he would be sat in the same room as his daughter... in his wildest dreams he couldn't have predicted that Carla would have knocked on his door and brought his daughter back to him.

He could barley believe what was happening to him as his little girl smiled from ear to ear and when she said "Daddy…" it made him want to burst into a huge flurry of tears but he didn't. He didn't because he didn't want to worry Jada, instead he smiled at her as best as he could and said,

"Hi… Jada… can I ave a hug?" Jada who was smiling shyly, looked at her Mum, who nodded and said,

"Go on baby… it's Daddy" Jada then turned her little head towards Peter and put her arms out for a cuddle. Peter swallowed back some more tears as he reached out and took hold of Jada for the first time in twenty-three months.

"Wow…" Peter breathed as he picked Jada up and as Michelle quickly ducked out of the room to give them all some privacy. "She's… so big… I mean the last time I held her she was like… newborn." Carla let a tear run down her cheek as Peter held Jada close to his body. Carla watched as Jada looked between her and Peter and wondered what was going through her little girl's every growing mind.

She imagined that Jada had a million questions circling her two-year old brain and wondered if she had maybe subjected her to this experience too soon.

She wondered if maybe she should have waited a little longer, for when Jada could understand a bit more but when Jada giggled at Peter as he kissed her on the cheek, Carla knew that what she was doing was more than right.

Even though she had just met him, Jada seemed more than comfortable in her father's arms as he went over to the sofa and sat down with her on his lap.

"I… missed you so much Jada." Peter said, as Jada began fiddling about with the collar of his shirt, he kissed her again as Carla sat down next to both on them on the sofa, she didn't say anything because she didn't want to interfere in this beautiful moment. Peter was soon blowing a raspberry on Jada's neck and as she squealed and giggled in his arms, Carla couldn't help but well up again. She sniffed and wiped her eyes before anyone could see and continued to listen to the sound of Jada's infectious laughter.

"So… tell me about her." Peter said after a while and as Jada climbed off his lap and returned to where she had been sat the floor earlier, she picked up a pen and started scribbling in a large notebook that Michelle had given her earlier.

"What d'ya wanna know?" Carla asked, watching Peter whose eyes were completely focused on Jada, Carla could tell that he was already deeply attached to his little girl and that the news that this wasn't permanent would probably cause him a lot of pain.

"Everything." He said quietly, in awe of the gorgeous little thing that was sat on the carpet in front of him. He looked at her little black boots and skinny black jeans, so similar to her Mother's that it almost hurt.

"Well… She goes to Day Care… A nursery, it's called Butterflies and she's in the Caterpillar room at the moment…there's loads of kids her age in there with her and her best friend at the moment seems to be this little girl called Rochelle." Carla explained,

"Does she go there everyday?" Peter asked, so intrigued in his daughters life, full of so many questions and not knowing where else to begin.

"Four days a week... I don't work Friday's." Carla said, "It was really hard for me to leave her there at first… Being without her for all those hours on that first day… I felt totally lost…" She hadn't realised what she had said until she saw the look on Peter's face when he said,

"Well imagine what it was like to be me..."

"Oh god… Peter… I'm sorry I…" Carla begun, shaking her head and feeling so foolish but Peter just shook his head and said,

"Just… Go on… Tell me more about her Nursery." Carla nodded at him although she felt like the worst person in the world right now for keeping Peter from his child.

"Erm… anyway she loves it there and her key worker is a guy called George… She instantly latched onto him when she started… I guess it was cause she didn't really have a male figure in her life and... if I think about it, he kinda looks a bit like you… Only not as handsome." Carla smiled, hoping Peter would too. He didn't, he just stared ahead at Jada and pretended as if Carla calling him handsome hadn't sparked something deep inside of him. "Yeah… so that's what she does everyday and on Fridays I take her swimming and to the playground…" Carla continued, wondering if Peter would ever turn to look at her, not that she blamed him of course, because he hadn't seen his little girl in the flesh since she was days old so it was no wonder that he was transfixed. "Oh one really important thing, She's allergic to Strawberries."

"Really?" Peter's attention was suddenly diverted to Carla and he actually turned to look at her now.

"Yeah… I first gave her them when she was about one and she came up in this horrible rash, it was really bad and I panicked… a lot, I took her to the hospital and they told me it was just an allergic reaction but it can be quite serious… her throat could close up if she eats em so we pretty much stay away from them."

"Okay…" Peter said nervously, looking back at his daughter and making a mental note to make sure that she was never within five foot of strawberry, whilst she was with him at least.

"Anyways that's the only serious thing you should know…" Carla said as Jada got up off the floor, pulling the large notebook with her.

"Look… Mummy it you." She said, thrusting the book at her Mum proudly.

"Aww wow baby that's amazing... it looks just like Mummy." Carla said, smiling down at the little marks that Jada had made on the paper. Peter leant over and took a look at the picture that Jada had drawn and smiled also, Jada saw her Dad's proud smile and then said,

"I gonna draw you now." She took the book off Carla and returned to her space on the floor whilst Carla looked back at Peter.

"She loves drawing… in fact one time the little monkey drew all over the walls in our apartment... it took me ages to scrub it off." Carla grinned, Peter couldn't help but chuckle at the image of Jada being let loose in Carla's flat with a felt tip pen.

"Apartment eh? Sounds nice." he said sadly, then thinking about how nice her life must be over in L.A, it made him feel utterly useless to know he could never offer Jada anything of the sort.

"Oh... it's just a fancy word for flat… though If I'm honest it is really nice there." Carla said, feeling slightly awkward now because Peter was looking directly at her instead of at Jada.

"So…" he said, clearing his throat and trying not to stare at Carla too much. He was still ridiculously angry at her for going and leaving him but he couldn't help but be taken in by her green eyes and insane cheekbones. Being away from the pair from them was excruciating but in different ways, missing Jada was like missing a piece of him, like he had been broken and not put back together correctly and missing Carla was like missing a best friend, a soul mate and being sat next to her like this meant that he couldn't help but get lost in her presence for a moment. "Errrr what else does she like then? I hear that Frozen movie is really popular with little kids, does she like that?"

"Yeah she does… I tell ya, Jada trying to sing along to that flamin Let It Go song is adorably hilarious but her favourite film is actually the Lion King… mainly because it was the first one I ever made her watch." Carla said, picking up Simba, which was sat next to her. She looked down at it and then at Peter.

"Thanks for letting her keep that." He said, "It really means a lot to me."

"It means a lot to her too, she loves him Peter she really does, I guess Simba's always been a constant in her life and when she was old enough and I showed her the Lion King she was so excited to see that it was him on the screen…" Carla smiled, "She sings along to those songs too… any songs actually, she adores singing n she loves books too… got a whole load of favourites. I can be pretty busy at work but I always make sure that I read to her a lot and every night before bed."

"That's good…" Peter nodded, "Me Dad'll be really pleased to hear that… he's going to be so thrilled to see her… and Simon… they wont believe their eyes… I mean I can barley believe you're both ere if I'm honest."

"I can't wait for them to meet her Peter…" Carla said with a soft smile, "How is everything with your Dad… and Simon?"

"Erm… it's… okay." Peter said uncomfortably. "Me Dad n I are fine… he's been a real rock lately and Si… well he's growing up… a lot... He's kind of… rebelling a little bit but... I spose it could be worse." Carla nodded along with Peter at first but couldn't help but grin at the way he was speaking about Simon. "What?" he asked when he saw her grin.

"Nothing it's just Simon… being a little rebel… I wonder who he gets that from…" Peter nodded and chuckled at Carla who still had Simba in her clutches, "Although it's not just Simon who's inherited your ways…" she began.

"Oh yeah." Peter asked intrigued,

"Yeah… that little one over there can be very argumentative at times." Carla explained, still smiling proudly down at her daughter.

"Oh and I suppose that's nothing to do with you eh?" Peter asked with a raised eyebrow, Carla nodded and couldn't help but giggle as Jada realised that she had hold of her most prised possession.

"Mummy…" Jada sighed precociously as she got up off the floor and ran over to her Mum and Dad. "That's my Simba Mummy." She took Simba off Carla and took it back to where she was sitting.

"Has… Jada got a little American accent?" Peter asked as Jada picked up her pen again.

"What? No way." Carla scoffed.

"It kinda sounds like she does." Peter chuckled, "Not all the time just a few words ere n there..." he grinned.

"Really? I guess I avent noticed…" Carla said because she hadn't actually put much thought into Jada's voice she just knew that she really cherished the sound of it. "But you know what she does do that I find really weird? She says things like trash instead of rubbish, chips instead of crisps… Oh and sneakers instead of trainers."

"Really?" Peter laughed, starting to feel so natural talking to Carla again.

"Yeah…" Carla nodded also laughing, "I guess she picked it up from nursery and maybe Susie cause I sure as hell don't go around saying those kind of things… Even though I live in L.A… this is my home… her home too." Carla nodded at Jada who was bent over her notebook with her tongue sticking out in concentration.

Peter sighed sadly and nodded too, he couldn't help but wonder how long Carla was planning to stay in Weatherfield for, he looked at her suitcase which was in the corner next to a bright yellow back pack and a Minnie Mouse case and he wasn't naïve enough to think that what was in there was enough for more than a weeks or so. He couldn't tear his eyes away from Jada as she scribbled on the paper that was in front of her, not until he heard Carla clear her throat and say,

"Peter…" He turned his head and looked at her as she said, "I'm... really… really sorry about Deirdre…" She hadn't wanted to be the one to bring Deirdre up first but she also knew that she had to apologise for what had happened.

"You should ave been there." Peter said, his tone laced with a slight hint of anger.

"I know..." Carla sniffed, tears welling up in her eyes. "I wanted to come… I should ave come I just..."

"I really really needed you… And Jada… You weren't there Carla." Peter said, swallowing hard and holding back his own tears. "Why weren't you there?"

"Because I was scared… I was scared... coming back at a time when you were going to be so vulnerable… I was scared if was just going to make it worse for you." Said Carla, glancing at Jada to make sure she wasn't witnessing this sad exchange, Jada was sat babbling away to Simba and was still focusing her eyes on her scribble covered notebook paper.

"So you just sent flowers instead..." Peter sighed, remembering the humongous bunch of white lily's that Carla has sent to his Dad's house. He also remembered how much he had been hoping for Carla to show her face, how much he had wanted her and Jada there whilst him and his family said goodbye to their beloved Deirdre.

Carla nodded ashamedly not knowing what else to say to Peter, he was clearly still upset with her for a lot of things and there was probably nothing that she could have said to make it better.

"Y'know I don't think things could ave got any worse for me Carla." Peter mumbled, remembering how awful life had been around the time Deirdre passed away. He had just started getting his life back together when it had happened, obviously he was still in agony about losing Carla and Jada but he was working again, he was sober and everyone once and a while he was beginning to feel slightly normal again… Until Deirdre died. "I was such a mess… Michelle told me that she'd told you the date of the funeral, the time… the place… everything… I just kept hoping you'd come… Even on that very day, I hadn't given up… I kept praying you'd show your face… That you'd be in the church with Jada on your lap… But you weren't… You weren't Carla and it almost killed me."

"It wouldn't have been fair to you Peter…" Carla eventually began, "For me to show up when you were at your weakest, to bring our baby girl all this way only to leave again in a matter of days… How would you have coped with that Peter eh? How on earth would you have been able to stand losing us again when you had just lost Deirdre? I honestly did what I thought was best for you."

"Me?" Peter scoffed, making Carla feel even worse.

"Yes you… I still… care about you Peter… You're Jada's Dad and that is never going to change." Peter just sighed again and shrugged his shoulders because he was at a loss for words this time, he waited for a while and then decided that enough was enough, he had to ask, he had to know how long he had with his daughter before she was ripped away from him again.

"How long?" He asked, Carla stared at him and replied with,

"How long?"

"How long are you staying? How long ave I got?" He said, hating the taste of these words that were coming out of his mouth.

"Look Peter…" Carla began, but he shook his head and spoke before she could.

"Let's not beat around the bush ere Carla… I need to know… When are you going back to California?" Carla nodded at him, knowing that she owed him a proper date, knowing that he has every right to know how long before she took his child away again.

"Two... weeks." She said, Peter thought about things for a moment, it was longer than he had expected and he then realised something,

"Two weeks… But her birthday is in just over two weeks." He said, Carla nodded at him not at all surprised that he had remembered that date.

"Yes it is…" She said and she knew what was coming next.

"So can't you stay longer… Just for her birthday…" Peter asked,

"But Peter…" She begun as Jada got up, she dragged Simba up with her, climbed up onto the sofa and then onto her Mum's lap. Carla kissed Jada lightly on the head as she snuggled against her chest and put her thumb in her mouth.

"Come on Carla… I wasn't there for her last birthday… Please let me be there for this one… Please I'm begging you." Peter said desperately.

"Peter... I've already started planning her birthday party, I gave out invitations…" Carla began but she couldn't finish because Jada sat up and interrupted,

"Jada birthday soon?" she asked with her thumb still in her mouth.

"It sure is…" Carla nodded, she then looked at Peter, "We've already invited all of her friends from Nursery."

"So?" Peter scoffed, "Wouldn't you rather she had a party with her family instead?" Carla didn't answer at first, she was too busy thinking about Jada's first birthday and even though she knew Jada wouldn't remember it, it really hurt Carla to know that she had none of the Barlow's there to celebrate it with her. Peter stopped looking at Carla and then leant closer to Jada instead, "Jada… Do you want to have a birthday party ere with Daddy n Granddad and Simon…" Peter began, wondering how much Jada knew about her big brother. She took her thumb away from her mouth, nodded excitedly at Peter and then said,

"And Mummy come too."

"Of course." Peter nodded, poking Jada softly on the nose and making her giggle. He then looked up at Carla who looked like she wanted to hit him for getting Jada involved in their conversation.

"Y'know I'm not sure she's gonna remember this conversation in two weeks time Peter…" Carla said, although Jada had a tendency to always remember things about her friends and family.

"She might… especially if I make sure that I mention it to her every time I see her over the next two weeks." Peter smirked, for the first time showing Carla that inside he was still the same cheeky so and so that she fell in love with all those years ago.

She couldn't help but let that smirk get under her skin and as Jada stared up at her too she also couldn't help but say,

"Okay… We'll stay… For her birthday and then… Back to Los Angeles."

"Really?" Peter asked, stunned with his eyes wide.

"Yes… really, I mean what am I supposed to say when your both looking up at me like that eh?" Carla sighed and for a moment, Peter forgot how angry he was, how upset he was and he put an arm around Carla. He pulled her towards him and said a heartfelt,

"Thank you… so much." Carla smiled softly as she could feel Peter's breath on her cheek. She didn't say anything as Peter pulled away from her and when Jada then yawned, she could help but do the same.

"You both look exhausted." Peter said, looking at the dark circles under Carla's eyes.

"Yeah well a thirteen hour flight will do that to ya." Carla said, as Jada's eyelids were beginning to droop.

"Maybe I should get going…" Peter suggested, even though he didn't want to of course. He could have easily stayed by Carla and Jada's side all night but he knew that they needed to get some sleep. "Can I come by tomorrow?" he asked delicately, Carla nodded at him whilst she yawned again.

"Of course…" then she shook her head, "Actually maybe I should meet you next door… so your Dad n Si can see Jada too?"

"Yeah okay… whatever's good for you two." Peter nodded.

"So what time?" Carla asked, "I mean d'ya reckon we should tell your Dad or maybe surprise him?"

"Surprise him." Peter said, smiling and thinking how lovely it would be for his Dad to have some good news after such a depressing few months.

"Alright then… well how about I call ya in the morning and we can sort it out?" said Carla as Simba fell off her lap and hit the ground because Jada was well and truly asleep now and had let go off him.

"Okay… well me number's still the same." Peter nodded awkwardly, hoping that Carla still had it.

"Okay." She nodded too as Peter got up off the sofa. She looked down at Jada and then back up at him, "I'd err walk you out but…"

"It's fine." He said, "I'll err see ya tomorrow then."

"Bye Peter." Carla said softly. He took one last look at a sleeping Jada and bent down. It almost looked as if he was going to kiss Carla but of course he didn't, instead he placed a soft kiss on Jada's forehead.

"Night Night Jada." He said and on his way up, he met Carla's gaze. She stared at him with her teeth slightly sunk into her bottom lip. There was a torturous moment of silence and electric eye contact before Peter said a very quiet, "Night."

"Night." Carla replied with an exhale as Peter stood upright, he didn't let himself look back at Carla again before leaving the room and shortly after he left, in came a very curious Michelle.

"Awww she's sleeping." Michelle whispered as she sat down next to her. "So… how'd it go?" she asked, her mind going a mile a minute thinking about what on earth Carla and Peter had said to each other.

"Good…" Carla said quietly, "He's smitten with Jada…"

"Course he is." Michelle said, smiling at the sleeping infant in Carla's arms. "So you two didn't argue then?"

"No…" Carla shook her head, "Things got a little emotional at one point but no... no arguing."

"I'm glad..." Michelle nodded, "I didn't get a change to ask ya before but how long are you planning on staying?"

"Well it were two weeks but… well long story short Peter's managed to get me to stay a little longer." Carla answered.

"Has he now… You sure cave easily don't ya?" Michelle smirked, Carla shook her head tiredly at her best friend and said,

"Don't Chelle…"

"Don't what?" Michelle said as Carla nudged her as best she could given the fact she had Jada fast asleep in her arms.

"It's only for Jada's birthday… that's all. Peter said he wanted to be there for it and that she should be around her family… I agree… after her last one was just me and Susie I owe it to her don't I?" said Carla, Michelle nodded although she was still smirking slightly, enough for Carla to frown at her. "What Chelle?"

"Nothing… It just doesn't actually surprise me that he has managed to get you to stay for longer that's all… I mean this is Peter… the love of your life… if you make it back to L.A anytime soon I'll be very surprised." Michelle said with an eyebrow raised.

"Chelle... I know that me leaving when I did was the very best thing I could ave done but speaking to Peter... Seeing how much he loves this kid and seeing the look on his face... I can't believe it... I mean honestly felt like the worst person in the whole world." Carla said, "It won't hurt us to stay a little longer, I haven't actually booked us on a return flight yet and I owe it to him too I guess..." She watched Michelle nod along with her but she could tell exactly what Michelle was thinking "Make no mistake Chelle… I'm still the one in charge ere... I'm going this all for Jada only." Carla said, staring down at Jada and not quite looking her dearest friend in the eye.

"Sure…" Michelle nodded, although not at all convincingly.

"I'm serious… After Jada's birthday… we'll be gone." Carla insisted, bending down and kissing Jada in the same spot as Peter had just done.

She didn't know how the next few weeks were going to go for her and Jada.

She didn't know if Peter would prove that he had really changed and she didn't know exactly how she would explain to everyone who had been to invited to Jada's birthday party that it was cancelled.

All she knew was that sooner or later they had to go back… they couldn't stay in Weatherfield…

Could they?


	5. Family

On Saturday afternoon, a black cab pulled up on Coronation Street. Inside that cab was Carla and Jada who had just been out shopping to get themselves some more weather appropriate clothes.

Even though they were jetlagged they were both up at seven am and as the rest of the pub was asleep, Carla thought she and Jada should make themselves busy and go shopping.

Compared to L.A, England was obviously very cold and Carla hadn't come armed with clothes to match that kind of weather. Now that Peter had convinced her to stay for slightly longer, she decided that she needed to get Jada a proper winter jacket, so she took Jada into Manchester Central that morning and spent hours in the likes of H&M and Zara until she found the perfect little coat for her daughter.

She ended up buying more than a winter coat for Jada and got out of the taxi with a whole load of shopping bags. It was a struggle for Carla to do so and as the can driver was no help, she had to haul Jada out of the cab whilst juggling her shop bags.

"Come on monkey." Carla said, as Jada took a leap out of the black taxi, she squealed as Carla swung her through the air and as the cab drove off, Carla turned to her carrier bags. She sighed as she contemplated which one to pick up first and it was then that a Jada started whimpering and clung onto her Mother's leg. "Jada darlin... Please…" Carla said, hoping that Jada would have made the short walk up the road and back to the pub. "I can't carry you n all this can I?" Carla began but Jada was still clinging onto her Mum's leg tightly and wouldn't let go. "Okay…" Carla inhaled deeply as she picked Jada up, She then awkwardly bent down and tried to pick up some of the shopping bags that were on the ground next to her.

It was clear that Carla was struggling and as she dropped a few of the bags, someone was approaching her. He bent down and picked up the bags that she dropped and said,

"Carla?"

"Nick…" Carla breathed, as Jada rested her head against her Mum's chest. "Hi."

"When did you get back?" Nick asked, still clutching onto the shopping bags he had picked up for Carla.

"Errr yesterday." Carla said, Nick was now looking at Jada who was watching him shyly, after meeting Steve and Liz, she was getting used to being introduced to strangers by this point and was clearly expecting her Mum to introduce them both because she raised her arm and pointed at Nick.

"Tell me this isn't little Jada." Nick said smiling at her warmly, Carla nodded at him and then placed a loving kiss on Jada's cheek.

"It sure is." She said, "Jada this is Nick… say Ello."

"Hello." Jada said quietly.

"Hello Jada." Nick said, poking her playfully on the nose and making her giggle. He did this twice more before saying, "Carla… she's gorgeous."

"I know…" Carla nodded proudly, Nick smiled again and then said something that surprised Carla to no end.

"Then again, she's your kid so I guess I expected nothing less."

"Errr thanks." Carla said slowly. She wasn't too used to talking to Nick, even before leaving she didn't really speak to him much, he had always annoyed her especially when he had worked at the factory with her but since he was being so nice to her now, she decided to be civil. "Ere... let me take those off you." She said noticing that he was carrying her shopping, Nick chuckled and shook his head saying,

"Oh I think that you're carrying enough… where you going? I'll walk you." He leant forward and took the other shopping bags off Carla so that all she was holding now was Jada.

"Okay…" Carla nodded, she smiled at Nick gratefully as she began walking towards the pub. "I'm staying at The Rover's."

"How long for?" Nick asked curiously.

"Three weeks or so…" Carla replied. There was a small and awkward silence before she turned to Nick and said, "Did I… ever say Thank you to you?"

"Thank you? What for?" Nick asked.

"Kicking down Peter's door and helping me get in that time." Carla explained,

"Oh that…" Nick half laughed, he had totally forgotten about it until this very moment. "Hey don't worry about it… I just did what anyone else would have done."

"I know but still, I really appreciated it Nick, Thank you." Carla said as they reached the pub. "And thanks for this." She added, taking all the bags off Nick.

"You sure you don't want me to help you inside?" he offered, Carla shook her head at him and smiled as the door of the pub opened, Michelle appeared and said,

"Hey I wondered where you had got to but from all those bags I guess it's pretty obvious."

"Yeah well what with this weather ere at the moment, me n Jada were at risk of getting pneumonia so I had to buy us a few jumpers n stuff." Carla said as Michelle reached over and took Jada from Carla's arms.

"A few?" Nick teased, looking at the shopping bags in Carla's hands. She shook her head at him with a slight smile as he leant forward to Jada and said, "Bye Bye Jada, it was nice to meet you."

"Bye…" Jada said, smiling at Nick and waving sweetly. Carla nodded gratefully at Nick before walking straight inside the pub and went out to the back room, followed by an observant Michelle.

Once inside, Carla got out all of the clothes that she had bought and showed them to Michelle as Jada very quickly fell asleep on the sofa. Carla had bought her a cute little black suede jacket, which was lined with white faux fur and hoped that would keep her warm in the cold Manchester weather. She also couldn't help but buy Jada a little (fake) leather jacket to match hers and when she pulled it out of the bag, Michelle put her hand over her mouth and said,

"Oh Carla that is so adorable and so you!"

"I know right, I just couldn't help myself." Carla said folding it up and putting it back into the H&M bag. She smiled at her daughter, who was still snoozing on the sofa. She chatted with Michelle for a while about things but it wasn't long before Michelle brought up Nick and said,

"Well… it was nice of him to help you ere wasn't it?"

"Yeah it was, I was surprised actually… I mean me n Nick haven't exactly seen eye to eye… but he was especially pleased to see Jada." Carla said, putting the rest of the clothes that she had bought away and back into the plastic carrier. Michelle nodded understandingly and then realised that Carla didn't know. "What?" Carla asked, reading Michelle's expression curiously.

"Well… It's no surprise that Nick showed an interest in Jada… he… lost a baby in the summer." Michelle explained.

"What?" Carla practically whispered.

"Yeah, he had this girlfriend and she got pregnant but she ended up having a miscarriage… he was so excited." Michelle said, as Carla got up and sat next to her sleeping daughter. She looked down at her and thought about how she had almost lost her.

How just before Peter had gotten arrested for murder that she had been rushed to hospital but by some miracle Jada was okay.

She hadn't lost her baby but someone else and the thought of it made Carla shiver.

"That's so sad." She said, stroking Jada's head gently and then leaning forward so she could kiss her on the forehead.

"I know… he was a complete wreck back then, it really took it's toll on him but he's so much better now." Michelle said quietly, She knew that Carla was busy contemplating life and decided to leave her to it for a while and start to get the pub ready for opening time.

Carla stayed sat next to Jada on the sofa in silence, just stroking her head lovingly, until her phone began to ring. She heard it start vibrating from her handbag and as She went over to get it, she suddenly remembered that she had forgotten to call Peter.

His name was on the screen as she pulled her phone out of her bag and quickly answered it before she missed the call.

"Hey Peter." She said, "I know I was supposed to call you… I'm sorry." Carla bit her lip and felt incredibly guilty for leaving Peter probably waiting for her for all these hours.

"Is… everything okay?" he asked worriedly.

"Yeah…" Carla nodded even though Peter couldn't see her. "Me n Jada were up early n we went shopping, she's asleep right now but I promise... we'll be over when she's awake."

"It's fine… I just got worried when you didn't call… I thought maybe you changed your mind or something." Peter said and Carla could hear the worry in his voice as he spoke, she felt so bad for not calling him sooner.

"No… course not Peter… never." She said, "I'll be over as soon as she wakes up… I promise."

* * *

Carla kept her promise. Once Jada was awake and once she'd had her clothes changed and her hair done, they walked the very very short walk to Number one.

"Mummy where we going?" Jada asked, holding onto Carla's hand tight and running next to her. Her brown hair had been brushed into a neat little pony tail and she was wearing a brand new pink jumper with a pair of jeans just like Mummy's.

"Here." Carla said, pointing at the door that they were now stood in front of. "This is where Granddad lives."

"Granddad..." Jada repeated, as Carla knocked on the door. Peter answered it within seconds and smiled excitedly when he saw Carla and Jada stood there.

"Hi." Carla said smiling back at Peter. Jada let go of Carla's hand and grinned up at Peter who leant forward and picked her right up.

"Hello gorgeous…" Peter said, nodding at Carla with a wink and then kissing Jada on the cheek.

Carla couldn't help but wonder if Peter was actually messing about and calling her gorgeous as Jada started squealing with laughter because Peter was blowing a raspberry on her neck, Then came the sound of Ken's voice,

"Peter… who is it?" he said.

"He's gonna lose his mind." Peter said, looking at Jada who was peering down the hallway and wondering where the voice was coming from.

"Well go on then." Carla said, she gestured down the hallway and pushed Peter gently so that he would go and see his Dad. Peter took a deep breath and then excitedly took Jada with him as he walked towards the back room.

"Peter!" Ken called again, when Peter entered the room, carrying a little girl in his arms, Ken truly thought that he was imagining it.

He thought that this had to be some sort of insane day-dream but when he blinked twice he then saw Carla gingerly enter the room behind Peter.

"Hi... Ken." She said nervously, wondering if he would resent her for taking away his granddaughter.

"Carla…" Ken said as he stood up from the chair he was sitting on. He was utterly shell shocked to see Carla and also the little girl who Peter was carrying. He stared at her for a moment and then said, "Jada…" Carla smiled and nodded tearfully at Ken, who was also tearful only with happy tears instead of sad ones in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry…" Carla began, Ken shook his head and put his arms around Carla, whilst Peter and a concerned Jada watched.

"Mummy?" Jada said not used to seeing her Mother this sad in fact, when Carla thought about it, she didn't think Jada had ever seen her cry. She sniffed quickly and shook her head.

"Mummy's fine Jada…." She said then she looked at Ken and said, "Jada this is your Granddad Ken..."

"Granddad Ken..." Jada nodded as if she genuinely remembered him from somewhere. Ken looked touched as Peter handed Jada over to him. She seemed shy at first but she still smiled as Ken sat down with her and said,

"This is… such a lovely surprise." He put Jada on his lap and just stared at her as Peter sat down next to him. Carla stood awkwardly by the table at first, fiddling with her silver charm bracelet and watching as Ken spoke to Jada with tears in his eyes.

"Carla… Sit down." Peter said, pulling out the chair that was next to him. She sat down next to Peter and as she did Ken said,

"I can't believe this… thank you so much Carla…"

"Thank you for what?" Carla asked, not understanding what on earth Ken could be thanking her for because as far as she was concerned, she had taken his Granddaughter away from him.

"For making this trip… it has truly made my year." Ken said smiling the brightest Peter had seen him do in the longest time.

"Oh… well you're welcome." Carla said quietly, she was finding this whole situation rather difficult because she suddenly felt so guilty for taking Jada away from all of her family.

"So how long are you staying for?" Ken asked, knowing that there was no way this was a proper return from Carla, he knew she wouldn't be able to move home so easily.

"Erm… a couple of weeks." Carla swallowed, she looked at Peter who suddenly looked slightly annoyed at the mention of her leaving. "Well… we'll probably go just after Jada's birthday… Peter thought it would be nice for her to spend her birthday here with her family… n I agree."

"Oh that is really lovely." Ken said, "We shall have to have a proper Barlow birthday bash won't we Peter."

"Yeah…" Peter said, clearing his throat as Ken lovingly looked into Jada's green eyes.

"She looks just like you Peter…" Ken smiled, recognising that Jada's smile matched her father's. "And somehow… just like you as well Carla." She just smiled modestly and kept quiet as Peter and Ken started talking nineteen to the dozen.

Peter was telling Ken all that he had learned about Jada yesterday whilst Carla just nodded along and answered some more questions that Ken and Peter had.

After a while, when the conversation died down, Peter said,

"I'm gonna go n get Si… is that alright?"

"Of course." Carla nodded, "I'd… love to see him actually." When Peter had gotten up and left the room, Carla realised that she was actually a little worried about seeing Simon. They had never really got along much before and she wondered if he would also resent her for leaving with his little sister in tow.

"Huh…" Jada gasped as she peered around the back room, "A doggy!" She cried, noticing that Eccles was in the corner, fast asleep in her basket.

"Yes, that's Eccles… she was Grandma Deirdre's dog." Ken said. At first his voice was full of joy but as he said his late wife's name it became full of sadness. Jada didn't notice this of course and wriggled off Ken's lap to get a closer look at Eccles. Carla chewed her bottom lip and cleared her throat before saying,

"I am so… so sorry about Deirdre Ken… I… really should ave been ere… I wanted to be ere."

"Carla you don't have to." Ken shook his head as Jada tip toed over to the sleeping dog, which was in the corner.

"Jada baby don't wake the dog." Carla called, Jada turned around and nodded at her Mother but she still got closer. She wasn't brave enough to touch Eccles but she squatted in front of her and watched her in awe. As Carla turned back to face Ken he continued with what he was saying,

"I fully understand why you weren't at Deirdre's funeral Carla… and she would ave understood too." Ken said, watching Carla sympathetically. "Those flowers you sent were utterly divine…" he remembered the white Lilies that Carla had sent to his house that day. She had sent a message along with them too, a message that read.

 _"_ _Dear Deirdre._

 _Words cannot describe how much we have missed you._

 _I am so sorry we never got to meet again._

 _You shall always be in our thoughts._

 _May you rest in peace._

 _Love Carla & Jada _

_xx"_

"You and Jada were there in spirit." Ken said, reaching out and taking Carla's hand. He gave it a quick squeeze and then turned to look at Jada who had her head on one side, still watching Eccles. "So…" Ken began when Carla had turned back around, "How have you been?"

"Good." Carla nodded, "I've got an amazing job helping run this underwear company in L.A... I really enjoy it." She knew by the look on Ken's face that he wasn't so much asking about how she was getting on at work, he was more concerned about how she had got on raising Jada. "It was… hard at first… really really hard… especially when Jada wasn't sleeping through the night n stuff... Even though I had Susie there... I felt so alone… I almost caved and came back so many times Ken…"

"But you didn't and do you know why? Because being out there… was the best thing for you and Jada at the time." Ken said.

"I thought so too… I really did It's just… being back ere n seeing all you lot... it makes me think that I shouldn't have kept Jada away from her family… especially since mine are pretty much non existent." Carla sighed, "How was Peter… when I left?"

"Honestly?" Ken asked, Carla took another look to check on Jada who was still sitting curiously in front of Eccles and then looked back at Ken. She nodded even though she knew what she was about to hear was going to be difficult. "He was a complete and utter car crash." Carla exhaled and nodded again because she hadn't thought that Peter would have been anything less than that. "After Christmas… he had gotten a flight to L.A…"

"Yeah he told me…" Carla said, resting both hands on the table in front of her.

"He wasn't too bad at first… he was so sure he was going to find you and convince you to come back… and then he was forced to come home because he didn't have a Visa…" Ken explained, "And then they wouldn't actually let him get a Visa… that's when everything really started to fall apart for him…" Ken trailed off when Carla sniffed and look genuinely troubled by what she was hearing. "Carla…"

"No Ken…" She said, "Go on… Please I need to hear it." She wanted to know everything about how Peter had been because she had spent the past two years wondering.

When Jada was asleep in her cot, or when she had a few moments alone, Carla's mind would sometimes stray to thoughts about Peter. She'd wonder what he was doing, what he was drinking and whether he was okay.

She could have asked Michelle of course.

She could have asked her how Peter was doing every time that they Skyped but she didn't because she was too embarrassed and to talk about Peter was too painful.

She didn't even want her best friend to know how much it hurt… she decided the pain was her punishment, that she had to deal with it all on her own.

Ken watched Carla for a moment and then continued telling her about Peter's life without her.

"He drank… he drank a lot and well... obviously he ended up in hospital."

"Oh god…" Carla sighed, "Ken I am so sorry…"

"Do not apologise Carla, I won't have it." Ken interrupted, "It was Peter's choice to drink no one else's."

"So what happened next then?" Carla asked, "I mean he seems to be doing really well at the moment which is good."

"Well things got bad… very bad and it was touch and go at one point but thankfully he got better… and thankfully he realised that he had Simon here and that he needed to be a proper father to him. He hasn't drunk since then." Ken said taking a look at Jada who was just getting brave enough to stroke Eccles.

She gently reached out touched Eccles but then she jumped backwards as if the feel of Eccles' soft fur had surprised her. Carla and Ken chuckled quietly to themselves as Jada peered back at a sleeping Eccles and then moved closer to her again.

"He hasn't been the same since." Ken said, "He has moments of happiness but… I haven't seen him truly happy since before you left… He struggles with his emotions quite a lot. I'm not telling you this to make you feel bad Carla…"

"I know…" Carla nodded, "I asked…" She sighed and ran a hand through her long hair.

"I just want you to know that when he's a little off with you... he doesn't mean it... How's he been with you so far?" Ken asked, Carla shrugged for a moment and then smiled softly at him.

"Okay… there's been a few... moments but then there are other's when I can tell he's till so angry, especially when I mention leaving again… I don't blame him for kinda hating me." Carla said.

"Oh he doesn't hate you Carla." Ken insisted, "That I am sure of… he's just… worried about the thought of losing you two again." Carla still looked really guilty at this point so Ken reached over the table and took hold of her hand. "No matter what Peter went through… you must have had it ten times harder… raising that beautiful little girl all on your own… I can't even begin to imagine what it was like for you… thousands of miles from home… from your friends."

"From him…" Carla said hoarsely, a tear dribbled down her cheek but she quickly wiped it away so that Jada wouldn't see it if she happened to turn around.

"You did the right thing leaving Carla… you really did." Ken said and he meant it and he had said it so fiercely that Carla believed him.

"Mummy!" Jada called, Carla turned around and looked at Jada who shook her head and said, "Doggy still sleeping." She got up off the floor as Amy and Tracy suddenly walked into the room after a morning of shopping. Amy looked stunned to see Carla sat at the table with her Granddad and then looked down at Jada, who smiled sheepishly.

"Oh my god." Tracy exclaimed being a lot more vocal then her daughter.

"Hi Tracy." Carla sighed, Jada pointed at Amy and said,

"Amy!" Amy looked astonished and turned to her Mother in surprise.

"She knows my name?" Amy said.

"I've been… showing her pictures of all of you… pretty much everyday. I wanted to make sure that she knew who you all were." Carla explained, "I told her that whilst we lived really far away from you… that you all still loved her."

"Carla…" Ken said, smiling lovingly at her and shaking his head. He imagined how hard it must have been for her, talking about them all everyday and trying to explain to her almost two year old, who everybody was. "Thank you."

Even Tracy Barlow couldn't help but be moved as the toddler who looked just like her big brother Peter, had put her arms around Amy.

"Hello Jada." Amy said smiling at her little cousin. When Jada let go, Carla waved her over and said, "Say hello to Auntie Tracy, Jada."

"Hello Auntie Tracy." Jada said, looking shyly up at her Auntie. She also remembered her from the photo's but felt a lot more confident in approaching kids then grown ups.

"Hello Jada." Tracy said and to Carla's surprise, she actually sounded rather chocked up. She sniffed and then gave Carla a friendly smile. Jada shuffled on the spot for a moment and out of habit, she went over to her Auntie for a hug.

As Tracy cuddled her niece close, the door closed again. Carla looked down the hallway and saw Peter walking towards them he was followed shortly afterwards by Simon.

Carla was momentarily diverted by Simon's appearance and had to do a double take as he came into the room properly and stood in front of his Dad.

His hair was cut very short and he looked a hell of a lot older than he had done the last time Carla had seen him but that wasn't what shocked her the most.

It was the cut lip, which looked extremely sore and the bruised left eye. It looked as if he'd been in a pretty bad fight but Carla didn't say anything about it because she didn't want to spoil the moment.

"Hi… Si." She said, standing up and wondering what to do next. She thought about hugging him but he didn't look like he wanted to be hugged.

"Hi..." He said nervously, "Is that my little Sister?" He tearfully asked, staring at Jada who was smiling at Tracy and pointing at Eccles in the corner.

"Yes." Carla nodded, Peter had hold Simon by the shoulders and gave him a little nudge of encouragement forward.

"Jada…" Peter said as Simon stood shyly in front of him. He felt totally stupid for being shy to meet an almost two year old but he had been imagining this moment for ages and he wished that Tracy and Amy weren't here to see him like this.

"Yeah!" Jada cried looking over at Peter at the sound of her name, he smiled at Simon and then back Jada. She was quiet for a moment and then after thinking about it, She realised who was now in the room. "Simon!" She cried, she ran over to Simon excitedly because she knew exactly who Simon was.

He was her brother.

He smiled down at his little sister and picked her up instantly, just like Peter had done the night before.

"Hello…" Simon said to Jada as she adorably threw her arms around her brother's neck.

A tear fell down Carla's cheek at the sight of Jada finally meeting her brother but as she turned to Peter, the look on her face said it all.

She was wondering what had happened to Simon and she wasn't the only one, Jada gently traced a finger over his sore lip and put her head on one side as she said,

"Ouchie…"

"I'm okay." Simon nodded, smiling as best he could even though he felt like crying because he had waited so long to be a big brother again and he didn't want her to see him like this.

"Hurting?" Jada asked, watching Simon and then touching his face again.

"Nope." Simon said, shaking his head. He was already completely taken by his little sister and as Ken smiled, Carla bit her lip and moved closer to Peter. He shook his head and kept quiet, knowing she was about to ask him about Simon and what had happened.

"Let go see the doggy…" Jada said to Simon, reaching out and pointing at Eccles in the corner. Simon nodded and did what his sister said. Carla turned her back to the kitchen and said,

"A word Peter…" She didn't give him a chance to answer her before walking into the hallway. He sighed and followed her out, closing the door behind them so that Simon couldn't hear them. "What the hell happened to Simon?"

"I told you yesterday… he's going through a little bit of a rebel stage that's all." Peter sighed.

"Yeah... I thought you meant he was answering you back a little…" Carla hissed, trying to keep quiet so he didn't hear them. "Peter the kid looks awful what happened?"

"He had a fight at school yesterday." Peter sighed, shaking his head because he had hoped Carla would have just left it.

"A fight? Seriously?" She asked.

"Yeah… but Si's fine… I mean you should ave seen the other kid… he was much worse off." Peter replied, he hadn't meant it to come out as if he was proud but it did and Carla did not look impressed by it either.

"Oh well that's all right then." She said rolling her eyes.

"Look…" He began as she shook her head in disgust. "A lot's changed since you've left… okay… Simon's changed…"

"Yeah so I can see." Carla said, "So what was this fight even about?"

"Nothing really… just boys being boys." Peter said, not wanting to get into the real reason Simon had been fighting because he couldn't bear it.

He couldn't bear the fact that Simon was fighting at school because he was a very angry and damaged kid and that it was his entire fault.

He also couldn't bear how being in a confined space with Carla felt.

He felt his heart going a mile a minute and he really really didn't like it.

Even when angry she was still out of this world and finding him self surrounded by her beauty was nothing short of torture because he knew he couldn't do it.

He couldn't get close.

He couldn't tell her what he wanted to because she was leaving no matter what.

He knew that for his own good, he had to stay as much away as he could.

"Boys being boys?" Carla repeated, shaking her head at him. "Is that all you ave to say?"

"As I said, he's changed…" Peter began but Carla shook her head at him. She couldn't help but feel a little guilty for Simon's behaviour but Peter took it to mean that she was blaming him. "Look don't worry about it… he aint your problem anymore is he?" Peter sighed, hating how judgemental Carla looked right now.

"How can you say that?" She exclaimed, staring at Peter in shock. "I still care about him loads… he's Jada's brother… my step son for goodness sake."

"Yeah well I've done the best I could with him and I really don't appreciate you standing there n judging me for it okay…" Peter snapped. "I mean it's not as if you've been ere is it?"

"Peter I'm not judging…" Carla began before he swung open the door to the back room and went inside. She sighed as she followed him back inside, wishing she hadn't of even asked him to go into the hallway in the first place.

He had sat down on a chair at the table as Ken smiled and said,

"I know I've said this already but this has really made my day…" Carla nodded at Ken who looked so happy that she decided that she didn't care how difficult it was with Peter, all that mattered was that Jada had a good time with her family.

When things became silent and it had became clear that Carla and Peter had had some words in the hallway, Ken said that he was going to make teas for everyone and casually walked into the kitchen.

Simon and Jada were both crouched on the floor in front of Eccles and soon enough, Amy said she was just going to get something from her room whilst Tracy went to help her Dad.

They had both done this on purpose so that they could give Carla and Peter some time to talk.

There was a slight silence at first, one that was practically deafening in fact. One where Peter just watched his daughter and son dotingly and where he promised himself he wasn't going to mess this up.

He knew he had to say sorry to Carla but she bit the bullet and spoke first.

"Peter…" he looked up from where he was staring and met Carla's eyes as she said, "I wasn't trying to judge you…"

"It's fine…" Peter said shaking his head slowly, "I'm sorry for having a go at you… I wasn't being fair... I just…" He looked back at Simon who was smiling in awe at his little sister's presence, clearly loving being a big brother already.

"What?" Carla asked quietly, she walked closer to Peter and stood right in front of him.

They watched each other for a moment, both just taking the time to look at one another.

To stare into each other's eyes and realise that there was one thing that had definitely not changed since Carla and Jada had been gone.

"Peter say something..." Carla breathed.

"I…" Peter began weakly, "I really…" There was suddenly an excited squeal from Jada as Eccles suddenly woke up and sniffed towards her. Jada ran as fast as her little legs could carry her which of course meant that Eccles followed her in excitement, Simon got up too and couldn't help but chuckle at Jada's comical reaction to Eccles.

"Mummy doggy woke up!" Jada cried, throwing herself towards Carla who picked her up.

"I'm not surprised with your mush in her face the whole time." Carla laughed, kissing Jada on the head as Ken brought in a cup of tea for her and Peter. He set them down on the table and smiled as Carla sat down with Jada perched on her lap. She looked at Peter and wished that they hadn't been so interrupted earlier because it looked like he was going to say something really important.

She desperately wanted to finish their conversation but it was clear that now wasn't the time.

Jada relished all of these new people showing her all this attention and there wasn't a moment where Carla and Peter could both be alone again.

She thought about asking him to maybe go for a walk or something because there was still something's that she felt like they needed to talk about but she couldn't quite gather up the nerve to be alone again with him just yet, besides she loved watching Jada interact with Ken and didn't want to miss a moment of it.

Time seemed to fly by and before anyone knew it, It was almost eight pm.

Carla had wanted to have a little chat with Simon at some point because she found him watching her every so often but since Jada was already starting to yawn and it was past her bedtime, she knew she'd have to leave it until another time.

Jada gave everyone a big hug and kiss, even Eccles before jumping into Carla's arms and waving goodbye.

She already had plans for tomorrow, which included going to the park with her cousin and brother who had both taken a real shine to her and then Ken was going to cook dinner for them all.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow then…" Carla said to Peter who walked her to the door to see them both out.

"Yep…" Peter nodded, "Thanks for coming over… it's meant so much to me Dad."

"It's meant a lot to me too…" Carla nodded as Jada rested her little head on her Mum's shoulder.

There was an awkward moment where they just stood in front of each other again, one where Carla hoped Peter would reach forward and hug Jada.

She really hoped that he would just put his arms around the both of them and that she could just have a stolen moment in his arms because that was probably as close as she was going to get.

In the end she leant Jada towards Peter so he could kiss her goodbye and when he did Carla couldn't help but breath in and take in his musky scent.

His smell was so warm and so familiar that she almost teared up as Peter pressed a kiss on Jada's cheek.

"Bye Carla…" Peter said after he had kissed Jada. Carla stood up straight as Jada yawned again and rubbed her eyes.

"Bye Peter…" Carla eventually said, and as she turned around and began to walk out of the door to number one, Jada raised her head and peered over her Mum's shoulder to see her Dad one more time before going next door. She lazily waved goodbye to her Dad and as Peter waved back at her, he knew that he was never going to be able to say a proper goodbye to Jada in a few weeks… or her Mother either.


	6. Wethyfield

Jada Elise Barlow was slowly but surely getting used to life in Manchester.

She had gotten used to the time difference at lot quicker than her Mother had done that's for sure and she really enjoyed meeting all the people that she only used to see in photos.

Other than the Barlow's there was one more person that Carla had made sure that Jada knew about and that was Roy Cropper.

He had been there so much for them both before she had left Weatherfield and Carla felt like it was a crime that she hadn't seen him yet so, She decided to take Jada to Roy's Rolls for a light lunch on Sunday and she was feeling a little tearful before even walking in.

She and Roy had always stayed in touch over the years but seeing him for the first time proved to be a very emotional experience.

As sat down at a table with Jada, who had Simba tucked under one arm. Carla looked at the woman who she didn't recognise behind the till, She had guessed that this was Cathy and smiled politely at her because she had heard that she was a very good friend of Roy's.

"You alright there love?" Cathy asked, walking over to Carla and smiling back at her. Little Jada was sat on the chair next to Carla with her chocolate brown hair in two adorable little French plaits, a style that Carla had learnt how to do as soon as Jada had enough hair to pull it off.

She was also wearing her new black suede coat and a pair of thick black leggings also teamed up with a new pair of red Minnie Mouse wellie boots that Carla had also purchased yesterday.

"Yes thanks…" Carla began, she ordered a coffee for her and some toast for them both and as she got up to take Jada's coat off she asked, "Is Roy in?"

"Roy? Why yes he's on a phone call upstairs at the moment. I'm sure he'll be down soon though." Cathy replied.

"Okay thanks…" Carla said nodding, going into her bag and pulling out a little Disney colouring book. She handed it over to Jada with some crayons so that she could keep her self busy whilst they waited for food.

She had been used to eating alone with Jada, and always made sure that she had something to keep her occupied whilst they ate.

"Oh my god Carla!" A voice said, Carla looked up from her daughter and saw Kirk and Beth, two employees from the factory stood before her.

"Hello Kirky… Beth." Carla smiled, Jada looked up from her colouring book and smiled at the two new people before her as they were both staring and smiling at her too.

"When did you get back?" Beth asked, as Kirk bent down and said,

"Is this Jada?" Carla raised an eyebrow at him because it was more than obvious that the little girl sat opposite her with the bright green eyes was her child.

"Is sure is." Carla said smiling, "Jada say Hello to Kirky and Beth."

"Hello!" Jada said shyly, a green crayon in her hand as she waved.

"Well talk about a little mini me." Beth said to Carla, looking at their matching grey jumpers.

Carla had also got into the habit of dressing Jada in similar clothes to hers and couldn't help but match their outfits whenever possible, something which she had guessed her Mum never did with her.

"She's a right little stunner." Kirk smiled. Carla smiled too at him and enjoyed a little chat with her employees.

What she wanted to do was ask them how the factory had been doing? But she thought against that and decided that she should probably find out herself.

When Beth and Kirk eventually walked to the till to order their breakfast, Carla returned her gaze back to Jada. She was busy scribbling over a picture of Simba whilst the real Simba was sat on the edge of the table. Carla reached over and put it on her lap as Cathy brought over her coffee, the toast and a little carton of Apple juice for Jada.

"I wasn't sure if your little one wanted a drink." Cathy said, placing it all on the table.

"Ahhh thanks..." Carla smiled, as Jada put her crayon down and reached over for some toast, she had already begun munching away on it as Roy appeared through the door that was behind her.

He took one look at Carla who was smiling fondly at him with tears in her eyes and gave her one of the biggest and warmest smiles that she had ever seen.

"Carla…" He said, amazed as she got up from her chair and threw her arms around him.

"Hi Roy." Carla said, almost tearing up as Roy hugged her back. Jada turned around with a mouth full of toast and watched as Carla and Roy had their long awaited reunion.

"Mummy…" Jada said after finishing her toast and getting up onto her knees so that she could reach her Mum. "That... Roy?" she asked because she had also been looking at a picture of Roy whilst in California too.

"Yes baby it is…" Carla said, bending down and picking Jada up.

"Hello Jada." Roy said, bending his head and looking right at Jada who smiled shyly and then rested her head on Carla's shoulder like she always did when she was meeting someone knew. "She is truly precious." Roy said nodding at Carla who was still smiling.

"Thank you Roy." She said, Jada then began reaching down to the table for some more toast and as Carla put her back on her seat she said, "I know that you're probably really busy but would ya join us for a bit?"

"I can spare some time for you two, yes." Roy said, sitting down on the chair in between Carla and Jada. She was already making her way through another piece of toast as Roy tucked in his chair and asked, "When did you get here?"

"Friday." Carla said, "I'm sorry… we would ave been ere sooner but with the jet lag and everything... it's been so busy."

"Oh you do not have to apologise Carla, I'm sure that you've had a lot of other people to see before me." Roy said, watching Jada who had a crust in one hand and was picking up a blue crayon in the other.

"No way…" Carla said shaking her head. "Other than the Barlow's you were defiantly next on my list… after everything you did for me n Jada before we left we had to come n see you." She bent down to Jada's level and then said, "Me n you used to live ere Jada… before we went to California."

"Here?" Jada said, looking confused. She glanced at her surroundings for a moment and then said, "Where bed?" Carla and Roy both started chuckling at Jada who was still looking around the café as if there was a bed hidden away somewhere for her.

"Upstairs." Carla said, leaning forwards and kissing Jada lightly on the head. Jada smiled before going back to the rest of her toast, whilst Carla and Roy had a little catch up.

Carla asked Roy how he was getting on and he then introduced her properly to Cathy who had heard all about Carla over the time she had been getting to know Roy.

Jada was still busy chomping on the crust of her toast and when she was done with that slice, she pulled the plate of toast towards her and helped her self to another.

"Jada…" Carla said, as her little girl took a huge bite. "Honestly you are such a little piggy that's your third bit." Roy smiled as Carla who shook her head and then said, "She eats loads… must get it from her Dad..."

"How… is Peter with everything?" Roy asked, glad Carla had brought him up because he had been wondering how it had been for her to see Peter again.

"Good…" Carla began, "He's good. I mean he is completely in love with Jada… I can tell he's really missed her n she's already a little Daddy's girl, woke up this morning and asked for him straight away... so that's good."

"And how is he with you?" Roy asked, Carla shrugged at first and took a sip of coffee as Jada began colouring in again but with a lot more enthusiasm than before which meant she accidentally drew on the table.

"Uh oh!" Jada cried, putting her hand over her mouth dramatically.

"Oh that's quite alright." Said Roy, as Carla shook her head and said,

"Jada… try not to draw on the table please darlin."

"I wash it…" Jada said, pointing down at the little Minnie mouse backpack Carla carried around with her. She knew that her Mummy always had a packet of wipes in there and had decided that she wanted to be a big girl and clean the table herself.

Carla pulled the packet of wipes out and handed Jada one, She started wiping the little blue mark as if her life depended on it as Roy cleared his throat and said,

"She really doesn't have to do that… I can clean it later."

"It's fine…" Carla smiled, "She'll only sit there and go on about it until I let her do it. She loves tidying up n cleaning... now that, she definitely didn't get from me or Peter."

"Ahh yes. Peter." Roy said, getting back onto subject as Jada continued to clean the table even though she had already managed to get rid of the crayon mark. "I believe you were going to tell me how things were between the two of you."

Carla smiled at Roy, knowing that he was going to give up on this and sighed before saying,

"Things are… odd."

"Odd." Roy repeated as Jada stopped wiping the table and went back to her colouring book.

"Yeah… I mean there are moments where we are totally fine… and then there are others where… I get the feeling he's still angry with me… like a part of him hasn't forgiven me for leaving ere." Carla said thinking about the way her and Peter had been last night. "I mean last night for example, Simon came over and he was a total state, bruised eye, a cut lip and when I asked Peter about it, he was just really vague… he just wouldn't tell me what happened and it hurt me… I know I'm not around but Si is still my Step-Son y'know."

"Could it be that Peter is being a little distant with you because you're going to be leaving again?" Roy asked as Carla had told him before hand that this was going to be a short visit.

"Well we can't stay ere Roy… We ave a life in L.A… Peter knows that." Carla said, a lump forming in the back of her throat at the idea of having to leave Weatherfield again at some point.

"Yes but I can't help but think that maybe the reason he is trying not to get too close is because he knows that sooner rather then later, he will lose you again." Roy said.

Carla looked down at her coffee cup and bit her bottom lip as what Roy had just said to her, had made sense.

She had been trying not to think about leaving since she had arrived but it was hard not to think about it when other people mentioned it.

She was about to speak about Peter again, when she felt someone stop in front of her. She looked up from her cup to see Nick, bent down on one knee with Simba in his hands.

"I think you dropped this Jada." Nick said, smiling at her. She dropped her crayon and reached to take Simba off Nick's hands.

"Simba…" She said, as Nick handed it towards her, he then pulled it away from her quickly causing her to squeal with laughter. "Mine." She giggled before Nick handed Simba to her properly.

"Say thank you Jada." Carla said watching Nick.

"Thank you." Jada beamed, tucking Simba under her arm.

"You're welcome." Nick nodded he also gave Carla a quick smile before heading to the till, she smiled back at him and pretended like her mind wasn't totally consumed by Peter.

"So what are your plans for the rest of today?" Roy asked, watching Carla who had been sat in front of him in silence for a good few minutes now.

"We're going to the park n the red rec with Ken, Peter, Amy and Simon." Carla said and at the mention of the word park, Jada's face lit up and she said,

"Jada go park."

Carla smiled at Jada's little sentence and finished her coffee just as Audrey and Gail walked into the café. They walked past Carla's table and then did a double take when they saw her.

"Oh Ello Carla." Audrey said, then like everyone did when they saw Jada, she gasped and said, "Is this Jada?"

"Yes." Carla nodded, as Jada smiled at the two new people that were stood in front of her.

"Gorgeous isn't she Gran." Nick said from where he was stood at the till. Carla smiled at him again and looked back at Jada who had stopped cleaning the table and had down back to her book.

"Oh she is lovely." Audrey said, nodding in agreement with Nick.

"She's already for a day down the park with her Granddad." Carla said as Audrey bent down and gave Jada a wave.

She was pretty much used to meeting new people by now but the one thing that she couldn't quite get used to yet was the weather.

She had never worn more than a denim jacket back in California but here in Wethyfield, she needed to wear a brand new coat along with a jumper just so she could stay warm.

She couldn't seem to work out how it was sunny outside but also so cold at the same time and later on that day as she walked through the Red Rec with her Granddad Ken, Cousin Amy and Dad she shivered dramatically and said,

"Ooooohhh Coldie!"

Ken laughed at her adorableness and Amy chuckled too as Peter picked Jada up and tickled her proudly.

Jada squealed loudly and was in fits of laughter as her Dad tickled her underneath the arms.

It was clear for everyone in the Red Rec to see that Jada adored Peter.

When looking at Photo's of him back home, she would always smile down at them devotedly but... it was no wonder that she always looked so affectionately at these photos when her Mother used to do the same.

She used to stare at the photos of her and Peter for ages and would often unintentionally fall asleep next to them after a night of reminiscing.

Carla was down the Red Rec too, she was stood watching Peter and Jada whilst Amy had hold of Eccles' lead. Simon was sat on a bench nearby and was looking down at his scuffed trainers when Carla had gathered up the courage to approach him.

"Alright Si?" She asked, gingerly sitting down next to him and rubbing her hands together due to the cold.

"Yeah…" He nodded, his eye was still bruised but his cut lip looked a lot better today. "You?"

"I'm good…" Carla said with a light sigh, there was an awkward silence between her and Simon at first but he soon turned to his Step-Mother and said,

"Jada is really really cute."

"I know…" Carla grinned.

Everyone had such lovely things to say about her little girl and she couldn't help but feel so proud of her.

"She looks like you a lot… and me Dad." Simon said quietly.

"Yeah she's got your Dad's gorgeous smile." Carla said, looking over at Peter who was beaming down at his daughter. "How are you feeling… about us being back?" Carla asked.

Simon shuffled uncomfortably on the bench next to her and at first he shrugged, not because he didn't care but because he didn't know what to say.

Carla just sat next to him patiently because she didn't know what to say either but then Simon turned to her and said,

"Good... It's really good to see Jada… and you too."

"Yeah?" Carla asked.

"Yeah…" Simon nodded, smiling at Carla nervously and then biting his bottom lip. He'd forgotten that it was sore and then cried, "Ow!" He touched it gently as Carla said,

"So how'd that happen then?" Simon looked down at his feet again before saying,

"It was just a fight at school that's all."

"And why exactly were you fighting?" Carla asked, Simon was quiet once again which told Carla that he didn't want to tell her why so she said, "Okay… well I don't blame ya for not telling me… n I know you're probably thinking that cause I've been gone so long that I don't care about ya… but I do."

As Simon sat in silence next to Carla, Ken was smiling at the sight of Peter and Jada.

"Uh I literally cannot get enough of this kid." Peter said, smiling down as he put Jada onto the ground.

"Doggie!" Jada cried, happily running towards Amy who was walking Eccles in the distance.

"Seriously Dad… I don't know how I've managed this long without her." Peter said, shaking his head in disbelief.

Ken didn't say anything at first, mainly because he didn't want to think about the fact that Jada was going to be leaving in a few weeks time.

He looked over at Carla and Simon who were still sat in a sombre silence as Peter said,

"Look at her hair…" Peter smiled, admiringly the two braids that had been neatly done in Jada's hair.

"That looks like that takes a lot of patience on Carla's part…" Ken said, nodding towards Carla who was looking over and also watching her daughter with love.

"She's done an amazing job with her… she really has." Peter nodded, still with his eyes fixated on Jada.

"Yes she has and it wouldn't hurt if you let her know that." Ken said, before walking towards Amy and Jada to help them with a very excited Eccles.

Meanwhile, Simon and Carla were still sat in silence.

Jada had run over to Peter again and Simon watched as his Dad pick Jada up for about the one-hundredth time and kissed her on the cheek, Simon sheepishly turned to Carla and said,

"He's really missed her y'know… and you… we both ave."

"I've missed you too Si… and your Dad." Carla replied, also watching Jada and Peter from a far. She smiled longinly at them and then turned to Simon. "I know I avent really been in touch much… since moving but I thought you'd be angry with me… for taking your little sister away from ya."

"I'm not angry…" Simon said, shaking his head adamantly. "Never ave been… I understand why you went…" Simon then paused and made sure his Dad was still far away. "There was a time that I wish you had taken me with you actually."

"Why? I mean you hated me…" Carla said but if she was being honest with her self, she knew why Simon wished he'd had gone with her.

She imagined what it must have been like for him, away from his little sister, stuck in a place where his Dad was almost drinking himself to death.

"Well… he's a lot better now but there was a time when me Dad was… really bad… drinking a lot and stuff." Simon began, biting his sore lip again and feeling guilty for speaking about his Dad whilst he wasn't there.

He felt like he was badmouthing his Dad behind his back or something.

"Your Granddad did tell me…" Carla said as Simon looked down at his feet again. "I'm sorry Simon… I really really am… I just had to leave... I just didn't want Jada growing up around that… I guess I should ave remembered that you were still ere."

"It's not your fault…" Simon said shaking his head. "I mean… I probably wouldn't ave gone with ya even if you'd ave offered." He looked up and Carla and swallowed before speaking again. "A few months back I… I found out some stuff about my Mum."

"Oh yeah?" Carla said, moving closer to Simon slightly and hoping that what he had found out wasn't what she thought it was.

"Yeah… this guy… he locked me, me Mum and Liz in our flat… he used to know my Mum... He used to pay her for... he told me that me Mum used to be a… a…"

"I know…" Carla said, just so Simon didn't have to spell it out for her.

"Corse ya did." Simon sighed, "It seems everyone did…but me."

"Simon… you were a kid, She was hardly gonna tell you was she?" Carla said,

"I know." Simon said, he sighed heavily again and Carla hated the look on his face.

The one that showed he had already been through way too much for a twelve year old.

The one that showed how even though he had always acted like he hated Carla, really he actually rather admired her.

"One of the kids at school found out." Simon explained, "Then they all did. One was saying all this stuff and I just lost it… I'm not having people go around and say that kind of thing about my Mum…" Carla nodded understandingly at Simon and gently took hold of his hand.

She had been expecting him to pull away instantly but instead he hung on.

He hung on like he had been waiting forever for this moment.

"I didn't tell her… I didn't tell her that's why I've been fighting at school… because I didn't want her to…"

"Feel bad?" Carla asked, her head on one side.

"Yeah." Simon nodded.

"Si… that's… perfectly understandable it really is." Carla said giving his hand a little squeeze.

"But…" Simon said expectantly.

"But… violence isn't the answer… it really isn't." Carla said delicately. "All fighting is gonna do is get you into trouble at school and maybe even kicked out… then where will ya be?"

"I get angry… really angry and I don't know how to deal with it sometimes that's all." Simon said, feeling slightly odd talking to Carla about this but also feeling like it was the right thing to do.

"Ave you told your Dad this?" Carla asked, looking over at Peter who was talking to his Dad. Jada was running back and forth with Amy, trying to keep warm in the cold winter weather.

"Yeah… He wants me to go to counselling." Simon sighed, "I really don't want to go… I don't want people thinking that I'm crazy."

"They won't…" Carla insisted, she looked down at her hand which was still entwined with Simon's and then said, "I've been counselling before…"

"Really?" Simon asked, looking up at Carla intently.

"Yes really." She nodded, "And believe me… before I went, I thought the same… I thought, great, everyone is going to think I'm mental but after a few sessions… I felt better… I got better."

"Really?" Simon asked sceptically. Carla nodded again at him and then smiled mischievously. "What?" he asked, unable to not copy her grin. "What?"

"Tell ya what… we'll make a deal. If you go to just one counselling session, just one then in your next school half term you can come n stay with me n Jada in L.A."

"Seriously?" Simon asked. His eyes were wide with hope as he sat next to Carla in the cold.

"Yep. I'll pay for it all." Carla said, "When are you on half term next?"

"February." Simon said, hardly believing what he was hearing. "For two weeks…"

"Right well you just get the dates n I'll sort it but you also ave to start behaving in school again n if I hear that you've been fighting again then the deal is off." Simon stared at Carla for a second, almost in awe of her generous offer.

He had never been anywhere as glamorous and as famous as California in his life and there Carla was, promising him he could stay with her and Jada for two weeks.

"So ave we got a deal then?" Carla asked, watching Simon and hoping that he would say yes.

"Definitely." Simon nodded and then without warning. He got up and threw his arms around a surprised Carla.

As she smiled warmly and returned his embrace, Peter watched from a distance.

He was a little surprised to see his son and Carla in such a loving hug but the sight of it, warmed his heart, he smiled as Carla and Simon both let go off each other and then Simon got up and ran over to his Dad saying,

"Dad… Carla's going to let me stay with her in L.A next year!"

He explained it all to his Dad as Jada stopped running around with Eccles and towards her Mum instead.

"Mumma!" She cried with her arms out.

"Ello Jada." Carla said, picking her up and putting her on the bench next to her.

They stayed in the red rec together for another fifteen minutes or so but as the sky began to grow dark and as the wind picked up, Ken decided it was probably time for all of them to head home.

As they all started walking, Peter waited for Carla as she was still on the bench. She walked over to them with Jada in her arms as Peter said,

"Can we talk?"

"Sure." Carla nodded, Simon who had also been lagging behind, looked between his Dad and Carla and said,

"Should I take Jada?" He had his arms held out for his little sister to come and he was pleasantly surprised that she leant towards him.

"Thanks Si." Carla said gratefully.

There was a little moment of silence as Carla and Peter waited for Simon to walk in front with Jada in his grasp.

Carla folded her arms and shivered before Peter gestured with his head for them to both start walking.

"So was there a subject that you wanted to talk about or?" Carla began awkwardly.

"Yeah…" Peter chuckled, "There is… Simon."

"Oh…" Carla nodded guessing that Simon had told him all about L.A. "Peter, I'm sorry. I know that I should ave asked you first and I probably shouldn't be bribing him into things but…"

"Carla…" Peter interrupted. "It's fine. I actually wanted to say thank you."

"Oh." Carla breathed, slightly relieved because the last thing that she had wanted was an argument with Peter.

She hadn't wanted him to think that she was taking over or anything.

"I mean it Carla… thank you so much… He hasn't shown the slightest bit of interest in counselling until now… I'm sure once he's been in there once he'll see it's not a bad place." Peter said, rubbing his gloved hands together as Carla unfolded her arms. "He… said you told him that you had been to see a counsellor before…"

"Yeah I errrr did… I didn't tell him why or out, he didn't ask… but I think he got some comfort from it." Carla said as Peter put his hands back down by his side.

There was a moment.

One where one of Peter's hands crashed against Carla's.

They both jumped suddenly and then took a breath.

Carla giggled nervously as Peter bit his lip and then quickly said something to defuse the awkwardness.

"Anyways I avent seen him look so happy in ages." Peter said, walking side-by-side Carla. She smiled at him and nodded modestly as Jada put her thumb in her mouth whilst being carried by her big brother.

They walked companionably until they had exited the Red Rec and as they began on the short walk to Wetherfield, Carla looked at Peter sideways and said,

"I errr actually saw someone in L.A."

"Really?" Peter turned to her, surprised and also rather upset because over the past few days he had been really thinking about how it must have been for Carla on her own out there.

How it must have been to raise Jada on her own and cope with all the responsibilities that came with it.

He thought about what his Dad had said to him and he knew that sometime soon he had to say a proper thank you.

He wanted to say it to her.

Desperately so... he just didn't quite know how.

"Yeah… I just felt like I needed someone other than Susie to talk to y'know." Carla sighed, "It's a beautiful place L.A it just… gets quite lonely at all."

"Yeah…" Peter said distantly, "I can imagine…" He was just about to begin on talking to Carla about how she managed on her own when, Jada peered over Simon's shoulder and said,

"Mummy… Jada go butterfly?"

"Butterfly?" Peter looked confused as Carla shook her head at their daughter and said,

"No Jada… we're on holiday remember… we have to get an airplane to go back there…" Jada nodded, although she didn't look as if she actually really understood what was happening. Carla then turned to Peter and smiled, "Butterflies is the name of her day care centre…"

"Oh right." Peter nodded, then he grinned. "Day care..." he said shaking his head at the unusual American term.

"Yeah… you say nursery out there and they think you mean a kids bedroom." Carla said also grinning.

"Eh Si… init Jada's got a little American accent?" Peter called to Simon who was just slightly in front of them now.

"She has not." Carla said, nudging Peter in the side playfully.

"Oi…" Peter cried, dodging Carla's elbow and chuckling. They walked along the road together for a few moments more before Carla had realised something.

"Wait a second... We've been ere for almost two hours now and I avent seen you spark up a fag once… what's happened? Don't tell me you've finally kicked the habit?" She grinned, putting her hands into the pocket of her recently bought coat.

"Yes I ave as it so happens." Peter smirked.

"What?" Simon cried, "No you avent… I saw you smoking like three hours ago"

"Peter?" Carla asked with a smile, Ken had turned around in the distance whilst walking with Amy and Eccles and he also smiled too.

He smiled because for the first time in a very long time, he saw his son and grandson look truly happy.

"Alright…" Peter laughed, "So maybe I don't want to light up in front of my little princess… is that a crime?" He said, poking Jada lightly on the nose.

She giggled tiredly and waved a hand in front of her face to try and catch Peter's finger, he did it again and then, absent-mindedly did it to Carla too.

She giggled silently as he did so and was about to return the favour when Jada laughed and said,

"Daddy… nose."

"There's that American accent again." Peter joked, earning another nudge from Carla.

Simon chuckled quietly at the sight of his Dad and Carla actually having a bit of fun together and they stayed in this rather cheerful mood until they had gotten back to Coronation Street.

Ken, Amy and Simon had gone back to Number one, but Peter decided to take those little extra few steps towards the pub.

He was carrying Jada who had her head rested on his chest.

As they had walked down the street, they saw various people walk past them and when ever they looked at Peter, he felt extremely proud.

Proud to be walking with Simon and Jada… Carla too.

He could almost delude himself into thinking that they were a proper little family again.

As Carla stopped outside the door to the pub, Peter gave Jada one last kiss and cuddle before handing her over.

"Bye gorgeous." He said, Jada raised her little hand and waved at her Dad before saying a very cute and quiet,

"Bye Daddy."

"Bye…" Peter said again, he smiled at Carla who's cheeks had gone slightly pink from being in the cold and then said, "Thanks so much Carla… for today… with Si… n everything."

"Stop saying thank you Peter…" Carla said, "I love being back ere with you n your Dad, Simon… even Amy n Tracy." She laughed but then her laugh trailed off because she was reminded of leaving again.

Peter knew what she was thinking and looked sad too.

They both stood in a little silence together before Peter eventually said,

"You two should probably get out of the cold."

"Yeah…" Carla nodded, she smiled one last time and waved before heading inside the Rover's.

She was almost right in the door when she stopped and said,

"Peter…"

"Yeah…" he turned around, as he was also on his way to his Dad's.

"I were thinking… I'm gonna probably spend the day at the factory tomorrow so… If you're not busy… if you're not working like… do you want to ave Jada for the day?" Carla asked.

"Really?" Peter stuttered.

He was stunned that Carla was giving him this opportunity so soon.

The last time he'd been alone with Jada he had refused to give her back and whilst neither of them had mentioned it, it was clear that they both still remembered that day like it was yesterday.

"Yes really." Carla said, watching Peter warmly because the look on his face was a picture.

He looked so thoroughly touched and honoured that Carla had asked him to do such a simple task as to watch their child that she almost felt sad… bad for have keeping them apart for so long.

"Errr yeah… course I'll watch Jada." Peter said, nodding as well.

"Good." Carla nodded back. She was smiling broadly as she did so and then looked down at Jada. "Right… well I'll pop over to your place with her about nine… nine thirty say… and then pick her up afterwards at like five… is that okay?"

"That's perfect." Peter said, nodding again and looking like one of those classic nodding dogs that you get in the back of cars.

"Well we'll see ya in the morning then." Carla said, before picking up Jada's hand and waving it at Peter.

"Bye…" He breathed, waving back at Jada and Carla adoringly who gave him another quick smile before disappearing indoors.

In the minute or so that he'd been told he was going to be having Jada, he had already planned it all out.

He was going to have an amazing day with his little girl, get Simon over to watch her in the evening so that he could cook them all dinner…. Simon, Jada and Carla.


	7. Guess How Much I Love You

Peter had been awake since six thirty am. Even though he had gone to bed the night before at around midnight, he was just so excited about Jada coming over the next day that his body had woken him up ridiculously early.

After being asked to watch Jada, he had practically skipped back to his Dad's to tell him all about it.

Ken was thrilled at the news that Carla in trusted in Peter to watch Jada for the day and even Tracy looked pleased for her brother, saying that she didn't think she had ever seen him look so happy.

Simon was glad too, he even said he'd come over to his Dad's house right after school and spend some more time with his adorable baby sister.

Peter really felt like if he had any chance to show Carla that he was a changed man then this was it.

He thought that if he acted responsibly and showed her that he could really and truly be a good Dad to their daughter that maybe… just maybe she might think about changing the situation.

Not completely of course, he didn't think that Carla was just going to up root her and Jada from their swanky life in L.A to Weatherfield but maybe she would at least consider visiting more often.

So on Monday morning, as he was up so early, Peter had gone straight into his living room and made sure that it was all spic and span.

It hadn't actually been that messy to start with but Peter still went around and rearranged everything and made it look all neat and organised.

After that, Peter had jumped in the shower and he almost... just had a shave but then thought against it as he wondered if Jada might not recognise him without a beard.

He'd also be lying if he said that the thought of how much Carla had liked his beard in the past hadn't crossed his mind too.

He suddenly felt slightly foolish when thinking about Carla in that way, for all he knew she didn't fancy him anymore, for all he knew she'd could had a boyfriend.

The thought another man in Carla and Jada's life made Peter feel wretched but he knew if there was some other man, then he only had himself to blame.

He tried to ignore those impossible feelings of jealousy as he pulled on his cleanest black T-Shirt and then his jeans. He then went and put away anything that he felt could be potentially dangerous for Jada to be around.

He wanted everything in the flat to be absolutely perfect for Jada… and Carla for that matter because not only didn't want her to feel like their child was perfectly safe, he had something else up his sleeve too… something that he was sure Carla would say no to but something that he wanted to offer anyway.

It was now only eight am and as Peter took a look in the fridge, he realised that what _was_ in there wasn't exactly classed as decent toddler food… not unless Jada enjoyed a diet of streaky bacon, cheese and Kit Kats, that is.

Now it wasn't that Peter was particularly unhealthy, it was more that he just ate dinner at his Dad's place most nights during the week and so did Simon, so that meant that Peter didn't have to keep his fridge too well stocked these days.

Peter tutted and shook his head at the amount of food in his fridge and as he had an hour or so before Carla and Jada were due to arrive, he quickly jumped in his car and headed towards the local supermarket.

He had thought about taking Jada out for lunch or something but he knew that she might get hungry for some snacks during the day and he also knew that he had wanted to cook a special dinner… for Jada, Simon and Carla.

He hadn't told her this of course. He was going to just casually mention that he was cooking dinner when she came to pick Jada up and he hoped that she would want to stay.

As Peter got to the supermarket, he took a quick glance at his watch, it was ten past eight, he had plenty of time but he still dashed inside the shop quickly and practically ran down each aisle.

He wasn't exactly sure what to buy Jada at first, he knew that he was cooking a classic Spaghetti Bolognese for dinner, something that was Simon's all time favourite meal and something that he was sure that Jada would enjoy but he wondered what little snacks he should buy Jada.

He suddenly remembered Carla telling him that Jada loved eating little packets of dried fruit such as raisins and banana so he picked up some packets of those. He also bought Jada some special smoothies that were made just for toddlers and He also remembered Carla telling him that Jada was allergic to Strawberries, so he made sure he stayed well clear of anything that could even come close to a strawberry, not wanting to cause his baby girl any discomfort what so ever.

PHe bought milk, cereal… all the other boring/important things that you're supposed to buy when you go shopping, but he also bought some expensive ice cream and some crisps… just for a treat.

Just before Peter had gotten to the checkout, he couldn't help but pick up a couple of cute little picture books that he had passed by.

One book was called _The Gruffalo_ and Peter had been familiar with it because of Simon, who used to love it. It was one of those heavy duty cardboard versions and it came along with a cute little soft toy which he hoped Jada would love.

The other book that Peter had bought Jada was called _Guess How Much I Love You_. This book also came with a soft toy but it was a Hare this time and as Peter put it into his trolley, he felt a rather overwhelming feeling of joy because this time last week he would never have thought that he'd get the chance to read a book to his little girl.

By the time Peter had gotten back to his flat, it was only just gone nine am. He looked around his living room and felt pretty confident that it truly was Carla and Jada worthy, as he sat down he wondered how long it would take for Carla to arrive.

Time seemed to go incredibly slowly, so slowly that Peter had made sure that the battery in his watch was still working properly because he was sure that it had stopped.

He hadn't been so excited in a very long time but he also hadn't been so nervous in a long time too.

He was slightly scared that Jada wouldn't take well to spending the day with him and that she would maybe even cry until her Mum came back.

He wondered if she was only ever so loving towards him because her Mother was always near by.

Peter was driving himself crazy with questions when his buzzer went off, he glanced at his watch before practically jumping off his sofa.

It was half past nine exactly and as Peter picked up the speaker phone, he said a very quick and impatient,

"Hello!"

"Hi…" Carla's voice said, "It's me n Jada."

"Come up." Peter breathed, swallowing hard and running a hand through his hair, he took a deep breath to calm him self down, not understanding how on earth he was so nervous and then, when he saw Carla and Jada…. He knew exactly why he was nervous.

Carla was stood in his doorway, dressed in her black leather jacket with a fitted white shirt on underneath. She had on a pair of tight contrasting dark blue jeans, a pair of sky-high black boots and as she smiled at him brightly, Peter swore he was staring at her.

Carla was still utterly breath taking, even just dressed in a simple shirt and jeans she had managed to completely steal Peter's attention even if it was just for a moment before he looked at Jada.

"Hi…" Carla said, carrying Jada in her arms.

Now Jada was wearing a pair of blue dungaree shorts with a blue and white stripy top underneath, she had on a pair of thick black tights to keep her little legs warm and a pair of little black boots to match her Mum's only with out the heels.

"Hello." Peter said, Jada just looked at him. She didn't say anything this time and when she didn't respond, Carla just shook her head and said,

"Ignore her, She's tired… Up half the night last night she was."

"Really?" Peter asked, looking concerned because Jada's cheeks were slightly pink and he wondered if it had been from the cold.

"She's teething, got a couple more still come at the back. I only woke her up about half n hour ago and she still wanted to sleep..." Carla explained, she was also carrying Jada's bright yellow back-pack which had Simba's head poking out the top of it and her own black handbag and as Peter let her in, he reached out and took Jada's bag from Carla as she continued, "She really really hates being woken up, she had a right moan."

"Hmmm, I wonder where on earth she gets that from eh?" Peter asked with an eyebrow raised. Carla half smirked at Peter as she walked over to his sofa and plonked Jada down on the seat, Jada sat with her bottom lip poking out as Carla sighed and said,

"This morning has been such a nightmare and it's only half nine. I told my boss back in Cali that I'd do some of my work online whilst I'm over ere, which means he's just emailed me this huge list of things that he wants done. There was a delivery at the pub this morning, boxes all over the place and whilst I was in the loo, Jada had decided to help herself to a whole loads of crisps."

"Oh dear Jada." Peter said but not in any sort of authoritative way what so ever. In fact he was pretty amused that she had helped herself to some of his favourites.

"Yeah oh dear indeed." Carla said as she began taking off Jada's coat. "Then the little monkey went n got herself into a right strop because she wanted to carry her back pack over here herself and I said no... Yeah so that's why she has that rather depressing look on her mush."

"Oh I'm sure she'll cheer up in no time." Peter said as he sat down next to Jada who was still looking sullen and said, "I'm guessing it's a bit crowded over at the pub then..."

" _A bit_?" Carla repeated, "Peter it's actually ridiculous. I mean I love Chelle and I'm forever grateful to her n Steve for letting us stay but having Me, Jada, Liz, Amy, Steve n Chelle all under one roof is a bit much… especially with that crazy dog Steve has running about the place."

"So you've met Rover then." Peter laughed as Carla walked over to where the coats were hung and hung Jada's up there too.

"Yeah…" Carla sighed, shaking her head. "Can't believe he just found the flaming thing in the back of his cab and decided to keep it, I honestly don't know how Chelle puts up with him."

"I guess she loves him." Peter said awkwardly, as Carla walked back over to him and Jada.

"Yeah I guess." Carla replied, shaking her head, the subject of love suddenly making the atmosphere in the room change.

There was a silence before Peter cleared his throat loudly.

"So... you looking forward to seeing all the factory lot?" Peter asked, watching Carla as she paced back and forwards.

"Yeah… spose." Carla said nodding, "It's been a while, I just hope that they haven't forgotten who's the boss."

"Oh I doubt that very much." Peter grinned, he couldn't help but give Carla the once over with his eyes and he knew that she knew exactly what he was doing too. "You look… incredible."

Peter had only meant to tell Carla that she looked nice but the word incredible had come out instead, Peter also hadn't meant to catch Carla's eye so intensely but as he looked up, he met Carla's gaze and they spent a short but rather torturous moment just watching each other.

Carla caved.

She smiled first, widely and infectiously at Peter who smiled sheepishly back.

"Thanks." Carla said before quickly diverting her stare over to Jada instead.

Jada was sat with her legs crossed and was still unimpressed with her Mummy for waking her up this morning. She was still pouting away and refused to smile even when Peter blew a raspberry on her cheek.

"Right…" Carla breathed, deciding it was safe to look back at Peter again after he realised Jada was not in the mood. "Erm… So Jada's eaten breakfast already so she'll probably get hungry around… I dunno eleven thirty, twelve-ish." Peter nodded at Carla who took another quick glance at their daughter before continuing, "She usually sleeps between half twelve and one for an hour or so but then again she might not. In her backpack are some spare clothes in case she gets messy, some nappies, oh some bonjela for her teeth and a few of her other bits and bobs that I always carry around just in case. She's also got quite a bit of eczema on the back of her legs, I put some cream on it this morning but it usually needs reapplying in the afternoon, you'll know because she'll start scratching like mad." Carla paused because she felt like this was rather a lot of information for Peter to hear and as he nodded slowly and said,

"Okay..." She could tell that he was feeling slightly nervous about the day ahead so she eventually just smiled at him and said,

"You're both gonna ave a great day. I know it." She took a proper look around and couldn't help but sigh nostalgically at her surroundings.

This was where they used to live.

Her, Jada and Peter.

The spot where she was standing was where Peter had fallen and hit his head.

Carla stared as Peter watched her scan the flat, he knew that she was reliving the past and it hurt.

She was soon entranced by something, Peter followed her gaze and realised what she was looking at.

Her and Peter's wedding photo.

It was next to a picture of Simon and on a shelf in the corner.

Carla didn't want to stare too much at the photo of her and Peter but she just couldn't help it. They were stood in a loving embrace on the happiest day of her life and now she knew what Peter had done that very night, it almost burned her to look at that photo for any longer. She swallowed hard to stop the lump in her throat from forming properly and then quickly said,

"So I should probably get going…"

"Okay." Peter nodded again, sure that Carla was stalling slightly. He wondered if she was also nervous about leaving Jada with him and as she bent down in front of Jada she said,

"Jada… Mummy's going to go to work for a little while okay, you're going to stay with Daddy and then I'll see you later for some yummy dinner."

"Work?" Jada said quietly, looking down in a confused fashion. "On the... plane?"

"No baby, Not on the plane." Carla said with a smile guessing that Jada had worked out that Mummy did work here, she worked somewhere where they needed to get a plane. "Mummy has work to do here." Jada didn't answer Carla at first and just stared ahead, looking slightly dejected. "So are you gonna say bye to Mummy then?" Carla asked her, leaning even closer to her daughter and hoping that it would make her smile.

Jada did not smile, she just looked down again and then said,

"Mummy stay."

"Mummy can't stay Jada." Carla began.

"Jada come work." Jada mumbled, Peter bit his lip anxiously and wasn't sure if this was all such a good idea after all.

"No Jada can't, you're going to stay here. I will be back later… I promise." Jada had heard _I promise_ from Mummy before and she could probably be sure that she would come back but it still didn't mean that she said goodbye.

"Maybe this is too soon." Peter suggested, looking at Jada who looked as if she was about to cry any minute.

He hadn't seen her cry properly yet and it worried him.

She had fallen over in the Red Rec yesterday but she had only wailed loudly until Simon picked her up, there weren't even any tears either, Carla had said it was probably just for attention.

Peter still had so many questions about Jada and now it seemed as if it was too late to ask them.

What would he do if Jada started crying and got her self in a right state?

How would he calm her down? He looked up at Carla helplessly, she just smiled and said,

"No… this is fine." She kissed Jada on the nose gently and then said, "She gets like this sometimes y'know... when I leave her with Susie, even when I take her to nursery on a Monday sometimes. She'll kick off but she's always fine after a few minutes."

"Okay." Peter breathed nervously. Carla stood up straight and straightened her jacket before waving at Jada and saying,

"You'll be fine… I know you will. I trust you Peter." She hadn't felt like she had really needed to say that she trusted Peter but she had done anyway, just because she felt like _he_ had needed to hear it. He nodded at her as she added, "Right I'm just gonna go, if you ave any questions gimme a call."

"Will do." Peter said as Carla bent down to Jada's level for one last time.

"Bye Jada. Mummy loves you lots and she will see you later." She kissed Jada again before getting up and waving to Peter.

"Bye." Peter said warily. It was only when Carla opened the door that Jada finally reacted.

Her little legs hit the floor as she cried out,

"Mummy!" She ran over to the front door as fast as she could but her Carla had closed it before she could get to her. "Mummy?" Jada repeated, beating on the door with a closed fist as tears fell down her cheeks. "Mummy! Mummy!"

Peter got up off the sofa and walked over to Jada who was stood banging on his front door. She still had tears in her eyes as she did so and for a moment Peter thought about calling Carla back.

Jada clearly wasn't ready for this and neither was he.

"Jada…" Peter said, gingerly holding out both hands in front of him. Jada stopped banging on the door in front of her and sniffed for a moment. "Come ere." Peter said moving closer to Jada.

She almost caved.

She almost walked into her Dad's arms but Jada was blessed with both her Mother and Father's stubbornness, so instead she shook her head furiously and started banging on the door again.

"Mummy!"

Carla was almost at the Factory when her phone began to ring. She knew straight away that it would be Peter calling her.

She had heard Jada call after her before leaving and she knew that for Peter this situation must be very distressing.

She, on the other hand, was used to this, as she had said before, Jada could often act like this and act as if she didn't want to stay with Susie or go to nursery, but in the end she always came around… in the end she always had a fantastic day.

"Hi Peter." Carla smiled,

"Carla… maybe you should come back." Peter said, sounding a little desperate. Carla could hear Jada shouting in the background and shook her head as she said,

"No Peter… trust me she'll be fine."

"Carla she's still standing at me front door." Said Peter.

"Yeah well let her just get on with it." came Carla's reply.

"What?" Peter asked half laughing.

"I'm serious Peter, Just ignore her, she'll stop soon." Carla said, stopping at the corner of Coronation Street and smiling again, "I know that it sounds harsh but believe me, put the telly on, she'll come over to you n be her normal self before you know it."

"You sure?" Peter asked, glancing over at Jada who had stopped shouting for her Mum but was still stood at the door. He sounded defeated already and it wasn't even ten am yet.

"Yes I'm sure. Peter she loves you, she's just tired that's all. Now, I ave to go. I ave a factory to oversee." Carla said and with that, she hung up her phone. She was smiling down at it as she started walking again and crashed… right into Nick.

"Careful." Nick chuckled, taking hold of Carla who rolled her eyes and said,

"Oh sorry Nick, I were miles away."

"Don't worry…" Nick smiled, he looked down at Carla's legs as she began to walk away and as she did so he asked, "Hey, Where's your little mini me?"

"With her Dad." Carla said walking on, she was too busy wondering how long it would take for Jada to stop being stroppy to talk to Nick. She really hoped that Jada would perk up soon and warm up to Peter again.

She wasn't the only one, Peter was also hoping the same thing… actually he was more like praying the same thing.

He had taken Carla's advice and had stopped sitting right by Jada's side. He put the TV on and left it on Nickelodeon. Peppa Pig was playing as Peter sat on the sofa and for a moment he wondered if they even played Peppa Pig in America.

 _"Maybe Jada didn't even know it."_ He thought.

It was soon, very clear to Peter that Jada knew exactly who Peppa Pig was because she couldn't help but turn around every so often, so that she could see what was happening on screen.

Peter was sure at one moment that Jada was doing a little dance, because as the closing credits began, he saw her little legs move from side to side.

"Do you like Peppa Pig Jada?" Peter asked, leaning over the side of the sofa and smiling at his little girl.

She smiled at him but then she obviously remembered that she was supposed to be in a bad mood. She quickly turned around and folded her arms, glaring at the door ahead of her.

Peter couldn't help but grin because in that moment, Jada reminded him of Carla.

He got up off the sofa and started emptying the contents of Jada's backpack so that she felt more at home at his place. He took out Simba and placed him on the coffee table as he said,

"Jada… Look… Simba's ere." Jada sulkily turned around to look at Simba and then she reluctantly walked over to him as Peter took out her Minnie Mouse water bottle, her colouring book and her crayons. He put them on the table and as Jada reached out and took hold of her lion friend she said a very forlorn,

"Mummy."

"Mummy's coming back later." Peter said as he put Jada's backpack on the floor next to the sofa.

"Mummy at work." Jada said nodding slowly, showing Peter that she understood.

"Yes." Peter smiled, "Yes she is." Jada looked around her new surroundings and then walked over to the sofa. She took a deep breath and then clambered up onto it and sat down to face at the TV.

Peter sat down next to his daughter and she was silent until the next episode of Peppa Pig had started up.

"Peppa Pig!" Jada sang, wiggling her shoulders and bottom along with the music. "Peppa!" Jada said, pointing at the TV with Simba tucked underneath one arm. As Peppa and her little brother got up to mischief, Peter picked up his phone and texted Carla saying,

 ** _"You were right, She's sitting next to me right now, we're watching Peppa Pig."_**

 ** _"See I told ya everything would be okay. I hope you ave a really good day together… Although I warn ya, Peppa Pig is dire. Oh yeah, I'll probably come n get Jada about five, if that's okay x"_**

 ** _"No problem, see you then... P.S Peppa doesn't seem that bad."_**

 ** _"Ahahaha, Just you wait Barlow... just you wait. x"_**

Peter smiled as he put his phone back down on his coffee table and sat back in a state of relief.

At first he was worried that Jada would start crying again but he soon told himself not to get too riled up and eventually, he found himself basked in the joy of finally spending some alone time with his daughter.

* * *

Before Peter had even noticed it was gone twelve pm.

Time had seemed to have flown by and at first Jada hadn't even mentioned food she was that content.

They had been in the middle of colouring in Jada's Disney colouring book when Peter was sure that he heard Jada's tummy rumble.

Before they had started to colour in the rare empty pages that Jada had in her book, Peter had put the Lion King on the telly for them to watch.

It took him about five Peppa Pig episodes to realise that Nickelodeon had episodes on back to back and if Peter had been honest with himself, he had wanted to kill Peppa and her little brother George by episode three.

Jada had protested at first when Peter had turned off her favourite little pig but when he had brought the Lion King up on screen instead, her face lit up and she picked Simba up and cried,

"Simba!" She sat happily next to Peter and watched toy Simba come to life on the big screen, just like she had done time after time with Mummy.

Peter hadn't watched the Lion King since Simon was very little and as the film got further and further in he found him self completely taken with the movie just like Jada was.

She spoke a lot during the film saying things such as,

"Simba careful" and "Naughty Scar!"

It was clear to Peter that Jada had seen this movie many many times with Carla and as she hilariously sang along to the famous songs, he wondered if Carla ever sang along too.

 _"Of course she did…"_ Peter thought to himself. _"She must ave."_

Carla was a truly amazing Mum to Jada and Peter knew that she probably danced around and sung with her for ages.

With each gasp and laugh that came out of little Jada's mouth, Peter smiled and when the film had finished he wished that they could watch it together all over again, just so he could see her that happy once more.

"Are you hungry Jada?" Peter asked with a yellow crayon in hand, he had been made to colour in a picture of Winnie The Pooh whilst a bossy little Jada had stood by to supervise, clutching Simba in her hands whilst she handed Peter a crayon at a time."

"Hungy." Jada nodded at her Dad and as his tummy rumbled too. He got up off the floor and walked towards his kitchen with Jada in his arms and said,

"What shall we ave then? What do you want for lunch Jada?" Jada gazed around his kitchen as if she was expecting some food to just appear out of nowhere and as she did so she saw a picture of Simon that had been sitting next to Peter's house phone.

"Simon." Jada said, pointing at the picture of Simon.

"Yeah that is Simon, although he were a lot younger then." Peter said, opening his freezer and peering inside it. Jada did too and she licked her lips precociously before saying,

"Pizza." She had spotted a Pizza in it's plastic wrapper and as Peter picked it up she said, "Pizza." again.

"Looks like it's Pizza then." Peter chuckled closing the door behind him.

He had gone and put Jada back in the living room and when he said she had to stay there while Daddy lit the oven she said,

"Oohhhh Mr Burny." Her eyes were wide as she spoke, showing that she had obviously been warned about the oven before.

"That's right." Peter nodded, unable to not smile at how adorable his daughter was.

The more time he spent with her, the deeper in love he fell.

The more time he spent with her the more he saw just how much Jada was a perfect blend of her parents.

Her eyes were green, like Carla's and they were big too.

Her hair was dark like his and today it had been left hanging down either side of her face.

When being serious, Jada resembled her mother, she had definitely got Carla's lips, that's for sure but whenever she laughed or grinned she suddenly looked like Peter.

After living with Carla for the first two years of her life, Jada had also picked up some of her Mum's habits and when she was served her Pizza she said,

"Ta Daddy." The first thing she did was pick up a little slice and nibble off the cheese… just like Carla used to do.

As Peter sat next to Jada and ate, he couldn't believe just how much like Carla she was and even though he felt truly blessed to have his daughter by his side, he still felt his heart ache when he looked at her.

Whilst she had traces of him, Jada was a practically a carbon copy of her mother and even though he hadn't really told anyone, He had gravely missed not having Carla around.

Of course, he had missed Jada too but not in the same way.

With Jada, he'd had hardly anytime to get used to her so when she was taken away from him, he missed her because he knew exactly what he was missing out on, those first steps, first words, he missed the idea of those precious moments that he knew he was never going to get but with Carla… well Carla was different.

He had been with Carla for years and so of course he missed every single thing about her.

All the good... and all the bad.

Her laugh, her cry, Her mood swings and the daily pleasures of being in her presence.

As Jada leant forward and took hold of her water, Peter couldn't help but wonder how Carla had coped living with a constant reminder of him.

Even though he had hurt her he knew how much she had loved him and he knew that those first few months without out him had to have been challenging… no... not months... The entire time.

Even with her sore gums, it wasn't too long before Jada had finished her pizza and after she had eaten the yogurt that Peter had gotten out of the fridge for her, she rubbed her eyes and yawned.

Peter and could tell that she was starting to get tired so he quickly got up and cleared away the plates. He picked up Jada's bag and took her into his bedroom saying,

"Shall we ave a little nap Jada?"

"No." Jada moaned but she didn't resist too much because she was starting to feel very sleepy.

"Come on…" Peter said, placing her onto his bed and taking off her little black boots. "Daddy's gonna ave a nap too." He went into Jada's backpack and pulled out a nappy from it along with some wipes.

He stared at it for a moment and then pulled Jada towards him who knew exactly what time it was now.

"Let's get you changed shall we? So you're nice and comfortable for a nap." Peter said, undoing Jada's dungarees and pulling down her tights.

It had been a hell of a lot of years since Peter had changed a nappy but soon enough, Jada had been changed, Peter was just about to pull up her tights when he noticed the eczema that Carla had mentioned earlier.

"Poor thing." Peter said, looking at the rather sore dry patches that were on the back of Jada's little legs. "Daddy's gonna put some cream on your legs darlin." Peter said as he delved into Jada's backpack.

It was then that he noticed the other things that Carla had packed in Jada's bag.

There was a spare set of clothes and shoes of course, along with Jada's eczema cream that Peter now had in hand but he couldn't help but smile to himself when he saw what else was in Jada's bag.

There was a little mermaid hairbrush, which had some little pink hairbands wrapped around the handle, a box of raisins, a box of Hello Kitty plasters, a Peppa Pig mobile phone, a little bottle of hand soap and a pink bouncy ball with glitter inside. Jada also had two little story books in her bag as well, books that looked as if they had been very well thumbed.

Peter could tell that Jada's bag had packed with love and when he put her cream back inside it he made a promise to himself that he had to tell Carla that later.

"Daddy…" Jada said, once Peter had gotten them both comfy on his bed. She was looking over at the books that he'd left on his bedside cabinet and then said, "Grufflo" Peter put Jada's bag down on his bedroom floor and then nodded at her saying,

"Yes… it is." He picked up the book along with the other one he'd bought and said, "Daddy bought you some books at the shops… I should have known you knew the Gruffalo."

"Mouse." Jada said, pointing down at the little cartoon mouse that was on the front cover of the book along with a brown beast that had white horns and orange eyes.

"Yes, good girl Jada. That is a mouse…" Peter nodded but Jada wasn't done there.

"Brown mouse." She said, nodding at the book."Brown Grufflo."

"Yes Jada… You are so clever." Peter said, kissing Jada on the head and knowing that the reason that Jada was so bright for child that wasn't even two yet was because Carla obviously spent a hell of a lot of time nurturing her.

He gave Jada the Gruffalo soft toy that had come with the book and she tucked it under the free arm that didn't obviously have Simba.

Peter read the book to Jada who insisted on turning each page herself and it was clear that this particular story was a favourite because she knew exactly which animal was coming next.

When he was done, Peter looked at Jada. She was still awake but she was definitely only one book away from being spark out. He reached over and then picked up the second book he had bought and said,

"Shall we read this one?" Jada didn't answer him this time and had her thumb in her mouth with her fore finger adorably hooked over her nose.

Peter picked up the Hare soft toy that had come with this book and place it in Jada's lap before beginning the story.

It was about two Hares, a big one and a little one and the running theme of the book was that the little one would ask the big one, _"Guess How Much I Love You?"_ The big hare would say he couldn't guess and would be shown by various different methods.

As the story started coming to an end, the hare in the story was beginning to get tired,

"Just like you Jada." Peter said, turning the page slowly. Jada was sat in his lap and although he couldn't see her, he could hear the relaxed sound of her breathing. She still had her thumb in her mouth but gently stroked the page that Peter had just turned to, the page where the little hare eventually said,

 _"I love you, right up to the moon."_

Jada listened as Peter read through the story and shifted her body slightly so that she was snuggled against him lovingly. Peter continued to read the last few sentences of the book even though he knew that Jada's eyelids were beginning to droop.

 _"I love you, right up to the moon… and back."_ Jada's eyes closed just as Peter was on the very last line of the book and as he bent his head to kiss her on the head he added, "I really really do."


	8. Dinner

Five Pm seemed to take forever to arrive.

Carla had kept to her word and spent the day at the factory getting to grips with everything that had been going on in her absence, but at time's her mind drifted off course and she spent rather a lot of time thinking about Peter, Jada too of course but mostly Peter.

Even amongst the endless questions about what L.A is like and how long she was staying in Manchester for, Carla couldn't really wrap her mind around anything else other than her separated husband.

She couldn't help but wonder how he had gotten on over the day with Jada and she had guessed that because he hadn't phoned her again, that everything must have turned out okay in the end.

By three pm, Carla was pretty much finished at Underworld but she hadn't wanted Peter to think that she was coming back early to check on him so she just hung around the office for a bit and tried to keep busy.

It was five to five when she eventually heaved her self up from the desk she had been sitting at and decided it was time to go back to Peter's. She had missed Jada thoroughly through out the day, like she always did when they were apart and she couldn't wait to hear all about what her little girl had done with her day.

She practically skipped across the roads as she approached Peter's flat and within a few minutes of leaving the factory, Carla was ringing the buzzer at Peter's front door.

She told herself the giddiness that she so suddenly felt was only to do with seeing Jada again but as she heard Peter's wonderfully familiar voice answer the intercom, she couldn't help but feel enthusiastic about seeing him too.

"It's Carla…" She said and as the door in front of her opened, She took a rather large breath before going inside. When she had reached the top of the stairs, Carla saw that the door had been left open for her and she gave it a gentle push as she said,

"Evening."

"Evening…" Came Peter's reply from the kitchen.

Now Carla wasn't exactly sure what she was expecting to find when she walked into Peter's flat that night but the actual sight before warmed her heart so much that she actually felt a few tears prick her eyes.

Simon was in his school uniform, although he had obviously pulled his jumper off because he was left in a white shirt and tie. He sat was crossed legged on the floor with a very content and comfortable looking Jada perched on his lap.

Peter's television was on in the background and it was playing one of the kid's channels but Simon and Jada weren't paying any attention to it in the slightest.

Instead were both sat in front of Peter's coffee table and were simultaneously colouring in Jada's colouring book. Jada had one of her chunky red crayons in hand as she scribbled away on the black and white Jungle book picture and Simon was ever so carefully colouring in the same picture with a green crayon.

They were both so entranced in their colouring in that they didn't even notice that Carla was even stood there. She smiled as she closed the door behind her gently and when she actually looked over to the kitchen properly, she saw that Peter was stood at his stove. He had his black sleeves rolled up as he stirred something that was cooking in a big saucepan and as Carla approached him gingerly she said,

"So… how's she been?"

"Great." Peter said, looking over at Jada and Simon who were both staring down at the colouring book that was in front of them. "She totally came around and we've honestly had the most lovely day together."

"Good." Carla beamed truly glad to hear that everything had gone okay after all. "So what ave you both done with ya selves then?"

"Well the morning was spent with that delightful little Peppa Pig." Peter said although Carla could tell that he was being very very sarcastic.

"Pain in the arse aint she?" She laughed, glad she hadn't been subjected to a Peppa Pig filled morning because she truly couldn't stand it.

"I don't think I've ever wanted to hurt a cartoon character so much in me life... I mean what a little diva." Peter chuckled back, as he filled up the kettle at his sink. Carla smiled at him and took off her leather jacket before saying,

"She's got a right little attitude on her as well." Peter grinned at Carla's comment, she was talking like this cartoon pig was a real person and rolled her eyes as she said, "I'm being serious Peter, that little porker is always mouthing off to her parents… She aint the best role model for our little monkey... We should probably stop her watching it y'know." Her tone was serious but her face showed that she was obviously joking.

"Well…" Peter laughed out loud, he had forgotten how funny Carla was but over the weekend he had laughed more whilst being in her presence than he had done in the past year. "You'll be glad to hear that we didn't watch too many episodes of Peppa Pig, I soon had my fill of her and put the Lion King on instead." Peter explained, putting the kettle back down in its place and then switching it on.

"Ahhh did ya? I bet Jada was in her element." Carla replied, hoping that Jada hadn't been shy in front of Peter and that she had sung and danced her way through the movie like she always did.

"She loved it. You weren't kidding when you said it was her favourite were ya?" Peter said, smiling from ear to ear just from thinking about how much Jada enjoyed watching the movie.

"Good." Carla nodded, thinking about how much time she spent cherishing those precious moments with Jada and glad that Peter had the chance to also. It was clear by the look on his face that he really had had the best day ever with his daughter today. "What else did ya do today then?"

"Well I worked on getting rid of that little American accent of hers." Peter grinned, knowing that taking about Jada's accent wound Carla up.

"Oh would ya stop it." Carla cried unable to refrain from laughing at Peter who was placing spaghetti into the large saucepan on the stove. "Did she sleep?"

"Yeah, she did. It were about one I think. I had a nap too actually." Peter said to which Carla silently chuckled and said,

"Course ya did." She shook her head in an _"I knew it"_ kind of way and then asked, "Did she complain about her teeth at all?"

"Nope, I mean I were a bit worried when we ate lunch if it was going to hurt but she was absolutely fine… I did wack some of that cream on her little legs though…" Peter said placing the wooden spoon he was using to stir onto the work surface that was next to him. "Bless her, I didn't realise she had eczema so bad."

"Yeah she's had it since she were about six months old…" Carla began but then she trailed off because talking about Jada when she was that old was awkward.

It was awkward because of course, Peter wouldn't know anything about what Jada was like at that age. He just nodded at Carla slowly and as she looked down at her leather jacket he quickly decided to change the subject.

"So… good day at the office was it?"

He asked it as if he was just a normal man, greeting his wife after she'd been at work but of course it was all to painful for him to know that this experience he was having right now was going to be a rare one unless he did something about it.

"Yeah it was actually. It was as if I've never been away actually." Carla said leaning over to see what Peter had gone back to stirring, she breathed in deeply and moved closer saying, "Something smells good."

"Spag Bol." Peter nodded, "I promised Si I'd make it tonight… it's still his fave meal."

"Jada's too." Carla said glancing back over to their daughter who still hadn't noticed that her mother had entered the room.

"Well you and Jada are welcome to stay…. There's plenty for everyone." Peter said casually, although inside he was practically praying that Carla would stay. He had made sure that he had made enough for them all to eat and had been secretly planning for this to happen all day.

Carla grinned and acted as if she was trying to think about it for a moment as Peter put some water on to the boil so that he could cook the spaghetti. She did want to stay, desperately so and she was actually so glad that Peter had asked her that she smiled from ear to ear, Peter had his back to her so he couldn't see how pleased she was to be invited to stay and it was only when Peter turned back to look at her that Carla eventually said,

"I'd love to stay." Peter nodded triumphantly at her, which led Carla to rapidly add, " _We'd..._ love to stay… me n Jada."

"Okay." Peter nodded again, going into his cupboard and pulling out some spaghetti. Carla couldn't help but grin back at him for a moment and then she quickly made her way towards Jada and Simon. She placed her leather jacket on the side of the sofa and slowly crept over to the coffee table where Jada and Simon were still sat.

"What you colouring in Jada?" Carla asked, leaning forward and making her presence properly known to her daughter.

"Mummy!" Jada cried, almost jumping off Simon's and sending crayons flying off in all sorts of different directions. She raised her little arms and let Carla pick her up and give her a kiss as Simon reached across the carpet and picked up the crayons that were rolling away.

"Ello gorgeous, I missed you… Did you have a fab day with Daddy?" Carla asked, resting her forehead against Jada's and smiling at her lovingly. She breathed in her daughter's familiar scent as she always did whenever she had been away from her and then kissed her lightly, on the cheek this time.

"Me Daddy watch Simba." Jada nodded, reaching up to Carla's forehead and touching it gently. "Jada went sleep with Daddy too." Jada then said, turning to look at Peter who was grinning from the kitchen.

"Did ya? Well aren't you a lucky girl Jada." Carla said, not realising how it sounded until it had been said.

It blatantly sounded as if maybe Carla might have wanted to share a bed with Peter and as he smirked at her, she quickly shook her head before looking back down at Jada and saying,

"I'm glad you had a fun day baby." Peter couldn't help but keep smirking as he turned back to the stove to check on the Bolognese sauce that he had been cooking.

"Right Simon, Dinner's gonna be ready in ten. Carla and your sister are staying so can you come and set the table please?"

"What?" Simon chuckled as he stood up, "And pretend as if we are all civilised and that we normally eat at the table?"

"Yes." Peter replied almost chuckling himself as Simon joined him in the kitchen.

Normally the pair of them would just sit and eat dinner on the sofa but as they had company tonight, Peter thought it was important to sit down and eat properly.

He thought it was important to show Carla that he had changed since she had left, that he was responsible enough to look after their daughter on a more permanent basis and maybe even responsible enough for her to take up the offer he was planning to make later on that day.

Simon reached up into the cupboards and pulled down some plates whilst Carla kissed Jada once again before putting her back down onto the carpet.

As Simon laid the table with three normal sized plates and a small one for Jada, Carla went into the kitchen and politely asked,

"Can I help you with anything in ere?"

"You?" Peter remarked, not in a mean way more in a surprise one. Carla reached over and poked Peter in the side, whilst Jada returned to her space by the table to do some more colouring, she was nattering away to Simba as she did so as Simon continued to lay the table.

"Yes me." Carla half laughed, "I'll ave you know I'm actually a dab hand in the kitchen these days."

"Really?" Peter asked with an eyebrow raised. It was that eyebrow that earned him another poke from Carla as she said,

"Yes really."

"How on earth did that happen?" Peter teasingly asked, ignoring the obvious reason why Carla would have learnt how to cook. The reason that was sat on the floor with a crayon in either hand.

"Well I had to learn didn't I?... I mean how else could I cook our little a girl a decent meal each night." Carla explained as Simon returned to the kitchen to get some cutlery.

He saw the way his Dad and Step Mother were looking at each other, so he didn't say anything to interrupt. He just took four knifes, forks and spoons with him as Peter bit his lip apologetically and said,

"Oh… right… sorry." Carla shook her head at him with a small smile, knowing that he hadn't meant to be rude but he still persisted. "I'm serious, I don't think I ever said a proper thank you… you know for raising Jada alone, It must have been really hard for you."

"Yeah… it was." Carla said, nodding this time.

Then, there was a very sudden and very long awkward moment of silence between Carla and Peter.

One where Carla exhaled nervously because he was staring at her so attentively that it made her heart thump behind her white shirt.

Simon returned to get drinking glasses. He choose three normal sized glasses and a plastic cup that he thought might be suitable for Jada.

He balanced each glass into one another but it was still a slight struggle to carry them over to the table along with the jug of water he'd prepared earlier.

He still didn't want to interrupt his Dad and Carla's little moment because it looked rather intense but it was actually Carla who spoke to him first.

It was as if she wanted to avoid this conversation with Peter as much as possible because she spoke so quickly.

"Here Si let me help ya." Carla said, taking two of the glasses off him straight away and walking towards the table.

Simon had wanted to tell Carla that he didn't need any help but she had moved so fast he hadn't had a chance. He turned around and glanced at his Dad who just sighed lightly to himself and turned back to the stove.

"Did ya ave a good day at school then Si?" Carla asked as Simon approached the table.

"Yeah… spose so." He said shrugging as he put down the jug of water. He still found it a little odd to be talking to Carla again on a daily basis after all her time away, so he couldn't even begin to understand how his Dad must have felt about things.

"N those kids… the ones you were having trouble with? What ave they been like?" Carla asked gingerly, not wanting to stick her nose in but wanting to show that she was slightly concerned all the same.

Peter was secretly listening from the kitchen and wondered how Simon would react to how much interest Carla was taking. He prayed that his son would be nice to her and understand how much he cared because he wanted tonight to go off with out a single hitch.

This was it.

This was what he had wanted since Christmas Eve 2014. His daughter, His son and wife all together in the same room.

They were all together, in this place that once Carla and Jada for that matter had very briefly called home.

That's all Peter had wanted for two years and even though he knew that what was happening right now wasn't going to be permanent, he knew he wanted it to be perfect... just whilst it lasted.

"They've been alright…" Simon nodded at Carla with a soft smile and as she reached over and began to pour some water into the glasses that he had provided. "I actually ave a counselling appointment next week." He added, smiling at Carla and remembering their deal.

For a moment it looked as if Carla might have forgotten the deal that she had made with him. The one that said if he went to just one counselling session that he could go and stay with her in L.A next year. Simon watched warily but soon enough Carla smiled at him in approval and said,

"Good to hear." She slowly walked back over to where Jada was sitting and sat down next to her at the table.

"Mumma do it." Jada said, picking up a pink crayon and handing it to her Mum before stabbing a finger at the book that was on the table in front of her. Carla nodded and started helping Jada colour in whilst, Peter stayed in the kitchen and finished cooking the meal he had been preparing. It wasn't long before he was announcing that dinner was ready and as Carla took Jada to wash her hands in the bathroom, Simon smiled nostalgically over at his Dad and said,

"This is nice… isn't it?"

"Yeah… it is." Peter nodded slowly. "It really is." He could hear Jada giggling from the bathroom and then as the sound of Carla's laughter also came, Simon raised an eyebrow at his Dad and said,

"You ave to ask her to stay Dad."

"I did… she is staying." Peter said, turning to the stove and starting to serve the Spaghetti Bolognese for everyone.

He knew what Simon was getting at… he was just pretending otherwise because he was scared about what would happen if he didn't.

"No… not tonight… I mean for good." Simon said awkwardly,

"Si…" Peter said turning to face him, "There's no way…" he trailed off and tried not to get too upset at the thought of Carla and Jada leaving. "It's just not going to happen Simon." Peter then added, turning back to the oven even though he didn't need to.

"Why not?" Simon asked, shaking his head and biting his lip but his Dad didn't turn back towards him or even answer him this time.

Peter didn't answer his son because he didn't actually know what to say to him. Carla and Jada soon bounded back into the room and as Jada ran towards the table, Carla sensed the tension in the air and looked between Peter and Simon before saying,

"What?" She had read their body language and could instantly tell that something was slightly wrong.

"Nothing." Simon said offering up his most convincing smile. He saw Jada trying to clamber up and onto a chair and smiled because she was adorably struggling.

"No Jada... I think you're gonna be sitting on my lap missy." Carla said, as Peter brought two steaming hot plates of Spaghetti over.

"She can sit with me you know..." Peter said smirking a little, as he looked at what Carla was wearing, a pristine white shirt which would never recover from the slightest bit of spaghetti sauce.

"I know... I'd like her to sit with me." Carla nodded but Peter was still looking mischievous.

"Alright... I was only thinking of your sparkling white shirt... I spose you can take it off if you do get too messy." He said, cheekily with his brown eyes sparkling.

"Jada do you wanna sit with Daddy?" Carla grinned, pulling out a chair from the dinning table to sit on as Peter laughed silently to himself.

"Jada sit here." Jada said, shaking her hand and hitting the chair that she was still trying to climb onto.

"That's a bit big for you darlin." Peter said chuckling as Jada refused the help that Simon was offering. He had been holding out his hand to help her get up but she just shook her head and said,

"I do it."

"She is so stubborn." Simon said, shaking his head as he walked over to join his family.

"Yeah… remind you of anyone?" Peter said nodding towards Carla.

"Me?" She said in mock surprise, Simon had gone over to the sofa but had soon returned with one of Peter's large cushions from his sofa, he placed it down on the seat that Jada was planning on sitting on.

"There ya go, at least you won't be so low down eh Jada." Simon said sitting on the chair that was next to Jada and her struggle. Carla smiled at Simon lovingly, touched that he was so being so caring towards Jada and said,

"Awww thanks Si." Peter brought over the remaining plates. He set them down onto the table, placing a smaller one for Jada who was still being stubborn and refusing any help. "Just leave her." Carla said, watching her daughter and laughing. "She'll give in when we start eating." Peter returned to the kitchen and brought over some grated cheese and shook his head at Jada and said,

"Jada… do you want help?"

"No Daddy." Jada said, biting her tiny bottom lip and trying her absolute best to heave herself up onto the chair.

"Told you." Carla grinned as Peter sat down in the only seat that wasn't occupied.

It was the one in between Carla and Jada and Simon smirked at his Dad who was clearly still infatuated with the woman who was sat next to him, it was also clear to Simon that Carla probably felt the same way about his Dad because she practically beamed at Peter the entire time she was sat next to him.

Jada eventually gave in and gave Simon a tug on the leg so that he would help her up. Simon picked her up and placed her on top of the large cushion that he had brought over and laughed as Jada could just see over the table.

"Say thank you to Simon Jada." Carla said, picking up a glass of the water and taking a sip.

"Thank you." Jada said excitedly looking down at the food that was in front of her as Peter leant over the table to roll up Jada's sleeves. He looked at the white top that Jada was also wearing and then looked at Carla before saying,

"This is going to be messy isn't it?"

"Oh absolutely." Carla nodded as Jada picked up the spoon that had been left in front of her and started eating almost immediately.

Carla ate her spaghetti with a spoon and fork, as carefully as she could given the fact that she was wearing white but the other three people at the table with her clearly didn't have the same idea.

Peter and Simon ate clumsily, just with a fork and letting long strands of spaghetti hang from their mouths as they spoke and Jada? Well Jada was the messiest of course. Peter had cut the spaghetti up for her but of course by the time she had got half way through her meal she had Bolognese sauce smeared all over her face.

"Jada… look at the state of you." Peter chuckled as Jada began licking her small fingers. He watched her lovingly as she laughed and said

"Licious." She was clearly enjoying the meal her Dad had made for her and it was obvious that Carla wasn't lying when she said Spaghetti was Jada's favourite meal.

The chat at the table consisted of Carla talking about what life was like staying at The Rover's, Peter talking about working with Tracy everyday and Simon talking about a new teacher that he really liked at school. Jada chipped into the conversation every now and then, offering up little words and sentences when she could but she was mainly concentrating on eating her tasty dinner.

The four of them were interacting as if Carla and Jada had never been away and every so often Simon and Peter couldn't help but smile at each other joyfully.

After dinner and the Ice Cream that Peter had bought earlier for pudding, Simon and Peter loaded the dishwasher with all the plates and cutlery and left Carla and Jada still sat at the table. Jada was a total mess, she still had spaghetti on her face but it was now accompanied by Ice cream and it was in her hair and also down her stripy top and dungarees.

"Did you enjoy that?" Carla laughed, shaking her head and getting up so that she could get Jada's bag. It was nowhere to be seen so she had to ask Peter where it was.

"Oh it's in me bedroom." Peter replied, down on his knees and placing plates into the dishwasher as he remembered he'd take it in there earlier.. He nodded towards the door to his bedroom as if he wanted Carla to go into it and get it herself.

"Stay there Jada." Carla said a little apprehensively. Simon heard this and walked over to where is little sister was sat, whilst Carla tentatively approached Peter's bed room.

She pushed the door open and walked inside it, acting as if the room she was walking into didn't mean a thing but when the door closed behind her, she stopped and closed her eyes.

She stopped and just took a moment before taking a proper look at the room, a room which she once shared with Peter. She was rather amazed to see that it was pretty much the same as when she had left it.

All the furniture was still in the same place as it had been two years ago and soon enough, Carla had found Jada's yellow back pack. It was lying in the middle of Peters bed, which was still in the middle of the room against the wall and yes… it was the very same bed that Carla and Peter used to share together too.

Carla could help but sit down on it and run a hand up and down it for a while. She shook her head as she did so and couldn't believe that at one point this was where she slept every single night.

She thought about how many times she'd been in her bed in L.A and how much she would wish that she was in bed with Peter instead. She thought about how lonely it must have felt for Peter to sleep in this bed alone and then she thought about if anyone else had been in there since her.

The thought actually made her feel sick and so she quickly had to shake the thoughts of what this bed was used for these days right out of her head. She quickly diverted her eyes away from where she was sat and instead she looked around the bed. Her eyes rested on the picture books that Peter had read to Jada earlier, which were rested on the bedside cabinet. She smiled at _"Guess How Much I Love You."_ And went to open it when she heard Peter call,

"Did ya find it Carla?"

"Yeah…" She quickly called, jumping off the bed and bringing Jada's yellow backpack with her. She was about to leave when she passed a shelf that Peter had put up one day when Carla had first moved in.

On that shelf, was a few pictures of Simon and then there was Carla and Peter's wedding photo, it was in the very same place that she had left it and as she approached it, she felt her throat become dry.

The photo showed Peter and Carla in their wedding outfits, both had their arms draped around each other and both looking madly in love and as Carla stood before it, she still hated how everything had gone so wrong. She still couldn't understand why on earth he had done what he did and the thought of that now made her very very angry. She had to take a quick breath to try to make sure that she didn't cry out and then she saw the other photo that was on the shelf.

This was a new picture, one that hadn't been there when Carla had left the flat, one she had never seen before and one that wasn't actually in a frame. It was just rested against the wall and this particular photo looked as if it had been handled a hell of a lot, like it had been taken off the shelf often and like Peter had carried it around with him on many occasions.

It was a photo of Jada, Simon Peter and Carla, one that had been taken when Jada must have only been days old, She was asleep in one of Peter's arms and Carla was sat tucked underneath the other. Simon was sat next to Peter and staring down at his baby sister whilst Carla and Peter were both smiling, no, they were beaming with pride.

Carla stared at the photo and even reached over to it, she gently took it off the shelf and stroked it tenderly, knowing that the photo she had in hand was probably the last time that they were all truly happy.

"Carla…" She suddenly spun around and found that Peter was stood in his doorway. "Are... you okay?" He asked, looking at the forlorn look on her face and then at the photo she was clutching onto.

"Yeah... I'm fine." She stammered, putting the picture back up onto the shelf in haste. She didn't say anything else and quickly made her way out of Peter's bedroom so that she could attempt to clean Jada up.

Simon was still sat at the table with Jada and when she saw Carla approach her with her backpack she knew exactly what was coming next.

Jada absolutely detested having her face wiped clean and to get the Bolognese off of it, required a lot of wiping by Carla.

After a few minutes of Jada struggling, Carla had managed to get most of the sauce off her daughter's face but it was still in her hair and all over her hands and arms. It was the kind of mess that would require a proper wash so Carla decided that she would have to do that a little later.

"I think that'll ave to do… Jada." Carla sighed, holding one of Jada's still dirty hands and putting the packet of Baby wipes that she had been using down on the coffee table in front of her.

Jada had put up such a fight when having her face wiped that Carla had actually had to pick her up off the chair and take her over to the sofa where there was more space.

Jada, who was glad that her Mum was no longer armed with a packet of baby wipes, gawped down at her messy arms and said,

"Jada go bath."

"Later Jada." Carla said. She was about to explain that Jada had to wait until they got back to Auntie Chelle's but then Simon stood up and said,

"Jada can ave a bath ere… can't she Dad?" Jada's green eyes lit up because she adored baths. Carla and Simon both watched Peter who was in the kitchen. He was still finishing with tidying up, putting bits and bobs that he had left out away but he still nodded and said,

"Course she can… If that's alright with you Carla." Carla nodded slowly and then looked down at Jada who was nodding too and climbing off the sofa already.

"Jada bath." She cried, running over to Simon excitedly because he had been the one to suggest the wonderful idea in the first place. "Simon come too…" Carla was about to shake her head again when Simon took this as a golden opportunity for his Dad and Carla to get some alone time and quickly said,

"I don't mind… Actually I can do it for you if you want… I won't make it too hot, I watch her properly n everything... I promise." Carla's heart warmed at Simon wanting to be so helpful with his little sister, and even though he really did want to spend more time with her, he definitely saw this as a good opportunity for his Dad and Carla to have a good conversation.

"Okay..." Carla nodded, "Err... there are some spare clothes in her backpack and some cream that you'll need to put on her eczema afterwards… just give me a shout if ya need anything yeah?"

"I will. Come on Jada, let's go into the bathroom..." Simon said as he picked up Jada's bag, showing no desire to hide how proud he was being entrusted to bath Jada and also showing no sign of how clever he thought he was being. Jada looked delightedly up at her brother and took hold of his hand as they walked over to the bathroom together.

Peter smiled after them and even though Simon left the bathroom door open, he and Carla were now pretty much alone.

As the sound of the running tap echoed through Peter's flat, he filled up his kettle and turned to Carla saying,

"Errr do ya want a brew?"

"Yes please." She said, pulling her phone out of her pocket and placing it onto the table in front of her.

After Peter had made the hot drinks, he brought them over to where Carla was sitting, he smiled after trying to place them down on the table that was covered in Jada's things. Her colouring book was underneath a bunch of crayons and she had also left Simba sat directly next to it.

"Sorry about this…" Carla said, reaching forwards and gathering up all of Jada's stuff into one corner so that Peter could put down the two cups of coffee.

"No it's fine, It's actually really nice to see… y'know… it makes this place look more like a proper home." Peter said, putting down the drinks and then sitting down next to Carla. She leant forwards and picked up one of the coffee mugs, Peter watched her for a moment and then said, "I would ave offered you a glass of wine but… y'know."

"Ahhh don't worry." Carla began, shaking her head and looking slightly sheepish. "Anyways I erm… well I've sort of stopped drinking..."

"Really?" Peter asked, as Carla took a sip of coffee. He knew more than anyone that Carla had always had a love for a glass of wine and he also knew how hard it was to stop drinking.

"Yeah… I mean I didn't drink the entire time I was breast-feeding n then when I stopped doing that… I just didn't really feel the need to start again… I mean If I'm honest with ya Peter I just didn't want to get too hooked on the stuff again… for Jada's sake as well as me own."

"I get it… I do." Peter said softly, nodding slowly as he picked up his own coffee this time.

"Don't get me wrong, I'll ave the odd glass on a rare night out n stuff but where as I used to need a stiff one at the end of the day, now all I need to do is just spend some time with Jada." Carla explained, the sounds of Jada and Simon having fun in the bathroom made her and Peter smile joyfully and as they both took a simultaneous sip of their drinks Peter cleared his throat and said,

"You're an amazing mother… you know that right." Carla just smiled humbly and put her mug down without saying anything so Peter decided to continue. "I mean it, I really really do."

"Well… thank you." Carla said quietly, still acting modest. "and… just so ya know… I think you're doing a pretty good job your self."

"Hardly." Peter scoffed, shaking his head and showing Carla that he still didn't have much self-belief when it came to being a father.

"You are… I mean all the bad stuff way way aside… you've come really far Peter… Simon still worships the ground you walk on and Jada is totally obsessed with you… you're a good Dad Peter." Carla nodded, meaning every word of everything that she said.

"No… I'm an… okay Dad at best." Peter replied, "but thank you… you don't ave to say stuff like that to me."

"Yeah I do…" Carla said, she rested an elbow on the side of the sofa and then smiled at Peter as he took a nervous breath.

They both moved up slightly, as if they were making themselves more comfortable and just when they caught each other's eye again, Carla's phone buzzed on the coffee table in front of them. Carla leant forward and saw that Michelle had sent her a text message. She didn't answer it though, she just leant back and said to Peter,

"I errr saw those books in your room… Bet Jada loved reading with you."

"Yeah… the first time she was half asleep but I read em again when she woke up. She was talking non stop that time although I did have to correct her pronunciation a few times." Peter joked but Carla looked a little disheartened at the mention of Jada's accent. "Hey… you know I'm kidding right…" Peter insisted,

"I'm know… It's just... I don't like thinking about Jada sounding all Americanised… It's only now we are ere that I can hear it in her voice. I want her to sound just like us… northern and common y'know..." Carla laughed, feeling a little foolish for what she was saying, "Then again a couple more weeks around Liz McDonald n Jada will start sounding like she's been ere all her life." Peter nodded at Carla with a chuckle and then his face got rather serious again.

"Speaking of Liz… you know what you said earlier… about The Rover's being really packed n stuff." He said, watching Carla and hoping that she would hear him out.

"Yes I do." Carla nodded, knowing that Peter must be going somewhere with this.

"Well I've been thinking about it all day n well… I was thinking about asking you... to stay ere." Peter said, finally coming out with what he had wanted to say all day.

"Here?" Carla repeated stunned, "Like move in with you?" She asked, making Peter chuckle because it did sound rather ridiculous now that he thought about it properly.

"Yeah… I mean I know it sounds a little insane but it also makes a hell of a lot of sense doesn't it?" Peter replied as Jada could be heard giggling loudly from the bathroom. He smiled over at the door and then looked back at a slightly sceptical Carla.

"I dunno Peter…" She began, "I mean… wouldn't it be a little weird..."

"Yeah maybe it will but it would also be amazing. It's only for a few more weeks right? There's loads of space ere… loads more than The Rover's, Ere you can ave my room and I'll ave the sofa. If you wanted to spend some more time at the factory or just go out you wouldn't ave to keep bringing Jada ere cause she'd always be ere wouldn't she…" Peter explained, showing Carla that he really had thought about this all day.

"I guess…" Carla said unable to keep from smiling because Peter was looking so hopeful right now. She knew staying at his place would probably offer up a whole lot of awkward experiences but she also knew it would give Jada and Peter the maximum time to bond and after all, that was what this trip back to Weatherfield was about right"?

"Carla please... I'd love having you and Jada ere... I really would." Peter said, "And I promise... I'll be on my best behaviour." He winked at Carla albeit nervously. "So…" he shrugged, "What do ya say?" He asked, his eyes were bright and he looked so endearing that Carla rolled her eyes and said,

"How can I say no to that mush eh?"

"What?" Peter said, doing a double take at first, not expecting it to be that easy to convince Carla to stay at his place.

"That was a yes Barlow." Carla said, finding Peter's reaction adorable. Her phone buzzed again and this time it made Carla get up off the sofa but before she did, She poked Peter playfully.

"Where you going?" He asked, frowning slightly, Carla was stood right in front of him now, she smiled down at him and then raised her eyebrows before saying,

"Well there's no time like the present right?" She picked up her phone and looked down at the screen which showed another message from Michelle. "I'm gonna go tell Chelle... She can help me bring over me n Jada's stuff."

"Okay." Peter said, bewilderedly, still in shock that Carla had said yes.

"You aven't changed your mind already ave ya?" Carla asked, watching Peter as she picked up her leather jacket from where she had left it earlier.

"No... corse not." Peter said, as Carla pulled her jacket on.

"See ya in a bit then." Carla said, as she walked towards his front door.

"See ya in a bit." Peter replied before smiling at Carla one last time before she breezed right out of his flat.

He stayed put for a moment, still unable to believe what had just happened.

He knew that in two weeks time he was going to be gutted but he also knew having Carla and Jada around for two weeks was better than not at all. He smiled to himself elatedly as he got up to go and tell Simon about his brand new house guests.


	9. 19a Rosamund Street

**_Hope people are still enjoying this one, let me know if you are..._**

* * *

It was only when Carla was on her way to The Rover's that she had properly realised what she had just agreed to do.

She had just said she'd move back in with Peter.

Peter Barlow, her ex husband... The love of her life.

She and Jada were going to stay there for the next two weeks, that meant waking up there, sleeping there, doing everything there.

Carla crossed the road and tried to think of all the positive things about this situation.

She thought about how good it would be to have a bit more space now that she and Jada were staying at Peter's. They would even have their own room in fact… Peter's room.

Then Carla tried to ignore how it felt to know that she and Jada would be sleeping in Peter's bed and as much as she had tried not to, she couldn't help the thought that maybe... just maybe he should be in there with them.

This slightly worrying thought had Carla quickly shake her head and dash right into the pub before she could think of any other ridiculous ideas.

After all, this trip back home was only for Jada's sake... not her and Peter's.

She had let her self in the back way with the keys Michelle had given her when she had first arrived and because she hadn't really bothered unpacking due to space, she had her and Jada's belongings together in a matter of minutes.

Carla wheeled the two suitcases along with their carry on bags and left them all by the back door before going in search of Michelle and Carla knew that Michelle was probably going to have a lot to say about the situation. In fact, Anyone would.

Carla walked out to the bar and very quickly found Michelle deep in conversation with her mother in law Liz McDonald.

"Hiya, how was dinner?" Michelle asked, smiling at a rather nervous looking Carla as she approached.

"Great… really great thanks… I err… well I need to talk to ya, can you come out back for a sec ?" Carla said, glancing around the bar and deciding that this conversation should probably take place in private.

There were a lot of people stood at the bar that she knew, employees mainly and it was glaringly obvious that if she didn't take Michelle out back, the news that she would be staying at Peter's would spread like wild fire.

"Sure." Michelle said with a nod, she followed Carla and when they got into the hallway she very quickly saw the two suitcases next to the door. "Are you leaving already?" She asked with a frown.

"No, we're just… well we're going over to stay at Peter's for the rest of the trip…" Carla said delicately, knowing that Michelle was about to put two and two together and come out with five.

"Peter's?" Michelle exclaimed with her eyebrow raised, "Just how good was this dinner eh?" She asked with an eyebrow raised, looking more amused than anything else.

"It's not like that." Carla scoffed, folding her arms and shaking her head. "And I don't want you to think I'm being ungrateful either."

"Then what is it like?" Michelle asked still smiling and not at all looking offended.

"Well I just happened to mention that it's a little busy ere at times, again I don't mean to sound ungrateful..." Carla said, "After dinner Peter just came out with it and asked me and Jada to stay and…"

"You just couldn't resist those big brown eyes of his." Michelle teased, poking Carla and laughing when she rolled her own green eyes.

"Oh as if Chelle..." Carla groaned although Michelle might have been a tiny bit right with that comment, "I just feel like I owe it to him y'know, I've kept Jada away from him for so long, it's only right he gets to spend as much time with her as possible… anyways, you should be glad we're on the way out, at least we won't be intruding so much anymore."

"Oh Carla you're not." Michelle said shaking her own head apologetically, "I've really loved having you ere babe."

"I know you ave and I've loved it too. I just think it'll be nicer for Jada to stay with her Dad and her brother… Peter can watch her more often and we'll ave our own room n stuff… Peter's gonna ave the sofa…" Carla said, she watched Michelle's smirk suddenly appear again and sighed before asking her a rather impatient, "What?"

"Nothing…" Michelle said with a quick shake of her head "We'll just see how Peter's on the sofa for…" She laughed, trying to make a joke but Carla narrowed her eyebrows together and then said,

"Michelle Connor don't even go there… nothing is happening like that… I'm only moving over there for Peter and Jada's sake… she had a really lovely day there today, it was so cute, I walked in and she was sitting on Simon's lap… Peter were cooking… it was perfect, exactly what Jada needs… a proper family."

"It's okay Carla… I get it." Michelle nodded, looking at her best friend seriously now. "But Carla… Isn't it going to be a bit weird between you n Peter, y'know living back there… after everything that happened with the two of you?"

"Yeah… at first probably but this situation isn't about me n Peter, it's about Jada." Carla said. She tried to sound as if she really and truly believed what she was saying and not as if she wasn't nervous about the next few weeks ahead.

She tried sound as if she wasn't sure that at some point Peter would ask her to stay permanently and that they would have to have a rather unpleasant conversation where she would have to tell him that she and Jada were still going back to California... no matter what.

"So… will ya help me take all this stuff over?" Carla asked and after a nod, Michelle took hold of one suitcase and opened the door, Carla quickly ran back out to the bar and said thank you to Liz.

After that they both started to make their way over to the flat which was above Tracy's second hand shop, as they approached it Michelle turned to Carla and said,

"Eh what did Simon ave to say about you moving in?"

"Erm…" Carla said, stopping in her tracks and then biting her lip. "I ave no idea actually… I'm not sure he even knows about it."

"Oh, well I'm sure he won't mind, I mean you said he loves Jada like mad." Michelle said picking up her pace again.

"Yeah he does…" Carla said, following Michelle towards the door to the flat.

Simon did love Jada, that was totally clear.

Carla just wasn't too sure how he felt about her.

He had been rather nice to her since she had returned and they had even had a few little bonding sessions but for Carla to move in was a whole other situation.

Michelle rang the buzzer and as they were let into the flat by Peter who's cheerful voice said,

"Come up you two." Carla hoped and prayed that Simon wouldn't mind her moving in for a few weeks.

The sight that she and Michelle arrived to was a very excited Jada who was freshly washed and out of the bath, she was running around in Peter's living room butt naked whilst Simon chased her around it with a towel.

"I only turned my back for one second…" Simon panted. He or his Dad could have easily caught Jada by now but she was obviously enjoying this fun little game so much that they let her have a moment.

"Uh oh, looks like little Jada's running this place already. You sure this is a good idea Peter." Michelle joked as she pulled Jada's Minnie Mouse suitcase up the last step.

"Not anymore I'm not…" Peter chuckled, also with a towel in hand. He grinned from ear to ear at Carla and Michelle and then turned back to face Jada.

Carla and Michelle both watched as he suddenly leapt forwards and scooped Jada right up into the air, as he wrapped her up in a towel he blew a raspberry on her tummy and as she squealed with happiness, Carla turned to Michelle and mouthed,

"See." Michelle nodded and she had to agree that Jada and Peter really did need this time together but she also knew that her best friend was going to have a real challenge separating the two of them again.

* * *

Carla was surprised at how quickly she and Jada had taken to living back at 19a Rosamund Street... although the first night did take a little getting used to.

At first it was all fun and games, they sat on the sofa together and watched TV but soon enough came bedtime and that meant Carla going back into her and Peter's old room and... back into their old bed.

After saying goodnight to her Dad and big brother, Jada had curled up and dozed off almost immediately of course, it took Carla quite a bit of time to do the same… although this was mainly to do with the fact that she felt like she was going to burst into a set of uncontrollable tears at any minute.

It was okay for Jada, after all she was only a toddler, she obviously couldn't remember living there but for Carla, the entire flat was full of memories some fantastic and some utterly dreadful.

The dreadful memories were the ones, which made her want to just sit there and cry.

She thought about the unbearable nights that she would wait up for Peter, praying that he'd come home safe and sober and all she knew was that she couldn't put herself or Jada through that again.

Being in their old room didn't help either, she had said she and Jada would have the living room but Peter insisted that they take his room

At first she didn't even want to lay down, she just sat up and on top of the duvet.

She kept herself busy on her phone, messaging Michelle and also Susie who was back in L.A but eventually, as Michelle said that it was time for her to go to sleep and as Susie had to go and run errands, Carla knew that eventually she had to get into bed properly.

She pulled back the covers and slid beneath them as gently as she could so that she didn't wake up Jada.

She still didn't lie down properly straight away and there was a very particular reason why Carla didn't make her self totally comfortable.

Peter… Well, not so much Peter but his scent.

She was also still plagued by thoughts of who had maybe been in this bed with Peter since she had left but she also knew that she had no right what so ever to ask him any kind of questions… after all, She had been the one to leave him and as much as it would have hurt her, she wouldn't really blame him if he had found comfort in someone else.

So Carla resisted sleep for a little while because she knew the moment she let her self lay down his scent would take her over but then she could no longer fight the way her eyelids kept drooping, she let her head hit the pillow.

As she breathed, Peter's pleasing and familiar aroma went in and Carla couldn't help but suddenly feel nostalgic and she also couldn't help but fall straight to sleep.

The next morning Peter had presented her with a set of her very own keys at breakfast.

"Keys…" Carla said, almost chocking on the cereal she had been eating as Jada sat on the chair next to her chomping toast.

"Yeah…" Peter said with a nod, "Y'know… so you can get in… when I'm not ere n stuff."

"Right… thanks." Carla said feeling slightly foolish and then smiling back at Peter. He nodded at her and took a sip off coffee whilst Jada reached forward, picked up the keys and said,

"Jada keys."

"No darlin they're for Mummy so she can get in the house..." Carla said but she knew her daughter wasn't going to take no for an answer and later on that afternoon, whilst out shopping, she and Peter had luckily managed to find a toy set of keys to give to their daughter because she was clearly outraged that she hadn't been given her own a set.

Those first few day's at Peter's went by rather quickly, the shopping trip they had all taken on that first day was to buy some more food and soon enough, Peter's flat had started to change it's appearance.

Along with Simon's stuff, there were now toys all over the living room, which Carla would always try to tidy up because she felt bad but Peter always said he didn't mind because he loved how it made his place look.

The bathroom soon had Carla's hair products and bits of make up scattered around it, it also had Jada's bottles of baby shampoo and her eczema cream lying about and of course, more toys were lying next to the bath.

It turned out that Simon was pleased to see all of Carla and Jada's stuff lying about the place too because for once, his home actually looked as if it had a proper family in it.

Jada seemed to truly adore life in this new environment and even though she had always been a very bright and cheerful little girl, she was somehow even livelier than before and had her parents and brother in stitches most nights.

Peter couldn't believe his luck and cherished every moment he spent with Jada and secretly Carla too although at times he would still be quite distant with her.

There would be times where they'd both be talking about something random and they'd end up in simultaneous fits of laughter but Peter would some times stop laughing abruptly and change the subject.

There were times where they'd catch each other's eye and after a few moments of gaze he would sometimes make sure he looked away quickly, as if staring too long would cause him some pain.

There were also times where Carla would absent-mindedly lean on him whilst they would be sat on the sofa but he would move away so that they weren't touching anymore.

Carla had noticed what he was doing and assumed that he was still a little bit angry at her for leaving but she was wrong, it wasn't that at all… Peter had reasons why he wouldn't let himself get too close and they weren't certainty not because he was angry.

Carla and Jada had been at their old home for four days when one Friday evening, on the second of December, Peter and Simon came bounding into the flat carrying a rather large Christmas tree.

Peter had spent the day working at Tracy's second hand shop and Carla had spent it in the flat with a very hyperactive Jada who didn't even have the nap she normally had because she was so full of beans.

Carla was not pleased that Jada didn't sleep because she had been hoping to catch up on some sleep herself because the night before had been a particularly bad one.

She didn't know why but she had spent half of it tossing and turning and the other half wide awake.

"Daddy!" Jada cried, clambering off her mother's lap and running towards her brother and father like she always did whenever anyone would come home. She had been having some calm time and enjoying a story with Carla but of course that had gone out the window when she saw her Dad and brother walking into their home with a tree. She took another confused look at what they were holding and then turned back towards Carla, "Mumma look… a tree." She giggled as Peter closed the door behind him and Simon and said,

"Evening all." Carla got up off the sofa with her eyebrows raised as Simon pulled off his coat. He bent down and lovingly kissed Jada on the head as Peter took off his coat and as Carla said a very sarcastic,

"Big enough is it?"

"I couldn't help meself." Peter breathed, smiling at Jada who was peering between two branches intrigued.

"Daddy… outside." Jada said, pointing at the tree that was lying horizontally at her feet.

"No this is a special tree Jada..." Peter said, bending down so he was right at Jada's level. "It's for inside… it's for Christmas."

"Christmas." Jada repeated. She had heard that word somewhere before and all she knew that it must mean something special.

Carla watched her daughter and at first she was smiling too, she was excited at the prospect of this Christmas with Jada.

Last Christmas, Jada was only just over a year old and she couldn't really understand much of what was going on but this time, she would be able to join in a little more and this time she would be able to open her own presents.

The smile on Carla's face only faded when she realised when Christmas actually was, in three weeks time and in three weeks time she and Jada wouldn't be where they were now… they'd be in sunny California.

"Yes Christmas." Peter said proudly with a nod, always amazed at how good Jada's speech was and not noticing that Carla had her thumbnail between her teeth and was almost in a state of distress.

"We're going to put some special decorations on it Jada, Do you wanna help us?" Simon asked smiling as he brought in a box that was full of lights and tinsel as if from nowhere.

"Yes!" Jada cried, jumping up and down excitedly, it was obvious she didn't have a clue what putting decorations on meant but her big brother had made it sound so exciting she didn't care. Peter smiled at Simon and Jada lovingly as he got up and it was only when he went to pick the tree up properly that he saw Carla's face.

"What?" He asked, watching as she removed her thumb from her mouth and tried to look completely normal because now Simon was looking at her too.

"Nothing." She said, looking back at him bravely.

She couldn't do it, she couldn't tell him what was wrong, not when Simon looked so excited to be decorating the tree with his sister.

"You sure?" Peter asked, as he stood the tree up and as Jada got on her tiptoes as she stood next to it.

"Yeah course." Carla lied, she quickly picked up her phone and made her way towards the bedroom she and Jada had been staying in but Peter followed her.

"Carla…" he said as she sat down on the bed with her phone in hand. "Are you not going to come n help decorate the tree?" he asked casually enough at first.

"No…" Carla said rather bluntly, "I errr need to make a call."

"What right now?" Peter asked with an eyebrow raised. His tone annoyed Carla so she tutted at him and said a very irritated,

"Yes right now." She knew he didn't deserve to be spoken like this and that her mood was only like this because she was running on hardly any sleep. Her head had been pounding for a while now too and as Peter stood in front of her she knew he wasn't going to be going away any time soon unless she pushed him to do so.

"Well can't it wait until we've done the tree?" Peter asked, also starting to get annoyed now.

He, like Carla, was also running on a small amount of sleep and all he had been thinking about all day was getting the tree decorated together… as a family.

"Peter you know I'm not a big Christmas fan…" Carla said scrolling through her phone and trying to act disinterested in the hope that Peter would leave her alone.

Truthfully, Carla had grown to adore Christmas now that she had Jada in her life and if they were in their apartment in L.A they would probably be decorating their own tree right about now.

"Yeah but I think Jada and Si would like you to help…" Peter said awkwardly, "Surely this phone call can wait half n hour." His tone of voice grated on Carla again, then he rolled his eyes and this annoyed Carla more than anything.

"No it can't Peter…" She snapped, putting her phone down and staring at him. "Just go and do the flamin thing without me for god sake!"

She still couldn't do it.

She still couldn't say that the reason she didn't want to help decorate the Christmas tree was because it almost killed her to know that at Christmas she and Jada would be five thousand miles away.

"Okay…" He said looking down on her disappointedly and shaking his head in confusion before heading towards the door to the bedroom

"Peter… I'm sorry…" she began but Peter just continued on his way out of their room.

Carla sniffed hard as she picked up her phone pressed call on Michelle's number.

"Hello." Said Michelle as she answered her phone, it didn't take her very long to realise that Carla was upset and straight away she asked, "Carla what is it?"

"I'm so stupid Chelle." Carla said, sniffing again and taking a deep breath before she started to cry.

"Stupid? Why?" asked Michelle.

"Stupid for thinking a situation like this could have worked." Carla said sadly,

"Alright what happened?" Michelle asked.

"Their decorating a Christmas Tree Chelle…" Carla began and when Michelle didn't answer she continued, "The three of em, Peter, Jada and Simon."

"Right…" Michelle said on the other side of the phone, sounding as if she really didn't understand the problem.

"They wanted me to help but I just can't."

"Well why not?" Michelle asked and then she got it. "Oh… is it because you're not going to be here to actually enjoy it on Christmas?"

"Got it in one." Carla said with a nod, even though Michelle couldn't see her. She sighed as she heard another one of Jada's excited squeals and then Simon's laughter. "God… there's going to be a whole load of situations like this over the next few weeks isn't there?"

"Probably…" Michelle replied, not really knowing what else to say.

"You should ave seen Peter's face when I said I didn't want to help… he looked so disappointed in me, uh I couldn't bare it." Carla said, replaying the dejected look he had given her over in head.

"Did you tell him the reason why you didn't want to help?"

"No… he looked so excited Michelle… I couldn't do that to him…" said Carla.

"Yeah but he knows you're going before Christmas so it shouldn't be too much of a shock should it?" Said Michelle.

"He does but maybe he's just pushed it to the back of his mind or something… For god sake why did I think any of this was a good idea?" Carla sighed, running a hand through her hair and shaking her head in anguish.

"Because you wanted Jada to spend time with her Daddy… and if we're being totally honest it's also because you wanted to spend some time with him as well." Michelle said and Carla could have sworn she heard the sound of a smirk.

"Well it was a stupid idea." Carla said, "Uh how am I gonna look at that Christmas tree without bursting right into tears?"

"Well… you could… I dunno change your mind and stay ere for Christmas." Michelle suggested although she knew what Carla's next response would be.

"No. I can't Chelle. I've already extended this so we can stay for Jada's birthday if I stay till Christmas it'll be _Oh well why don't we stay until the new year,_ then it'll be me birthday, Peter's and before you know it me n Jada ave been back a year... I can't have that Chelle… I just can't"

"Why not babe?" Michelle asked, "What's so bad about staying?"

Carla paused and didn't answer at first, she tried to properly imagine moving back to Weatherfield and the thought scared her so much she actually shivered.

"Because…" Carla eventually began, "Me n Jada ave a life in L.A… she's got friends, a nursery, she's on a waiting list to start a mini ballet class in the summer."

"I'm sure they ave ballet in Manchester Carla…" Michelle chuckled.

"Yeah well that's not the point." Carla said, shaking her head and hating how easy Michelle obviously thought this all was. "Besides, I ave a rather good job which I love and there's no way I can just leave it."

Carla knew that all these "reasons" were really just excuses and that the real reason she didn't want to move back to Weatherfield was because she couldn't imagine living there without being with Peter.

Weatherfield was where they met.

Weatherfield was where they fell in love and Weatherfield was where everything between them fell apart.

Every single part of the street held haunted memories for Carla and the only reason she was putting up with it was because she knew it was good for Jada.

Michelle did try her very best to talk Carla into staying a little bit longer whilst they were on the phone but to no avail and as Carla started to get irritated, Michelle changed her tune and eventually said,

"Okay… you know what I think you should do now? Hang up, Go into that living room and help them decorate that tree... Don't think about what's going to happen in two weeks, just think about the here and now."

Carla took her best friends advice in the end, even if she wasn't completely sure if it was going to work.

She walked back into the living room to find Peter stood with Jada in his arms and she was trying her absolute hardest to place one of the fiddly decorations onto the branch in front of her.

"Well done Jada." Peter said after she had finally succeeded, he hadn't noticed Carla's entrance to the room until she cleared her throat and said,

"What can I do to help?" Peter didn't reply and just bent Jada down so that she could pick up another decoration but Simon answered Carla and said,

"Here… you can help me with the lights." He had sensed something had happened with his Dad and Carla but of course he wasn't completely sure what, so he tried his hardest to pretend like nothing was wrong and handed Carla the set of tangled fairy lights.

"Alright…" Carla said smiling at Simon and beginning to untangle the lights he had given her.

As the tree began to get full of decorations and lights, Carla tried to catch Peter's eye but it was obvious that he was trying to avoid her gaze.

Jada was thrilled with the task of putting baubles and tinsel on the tree and insisted on trying to make a belt made out of tinsel when she saw that she could wrap a part of it around herself.

Peter had been on his knees sorting through the decorations but it was almost as if Jada wanted to bring her parents together because when she couldn't manage to make the tinsel stay up around her denim dress she tugged on Carla's leg and cried,

"Mummy... Mummy." Carla looked down to find Jada clutching a piece of silver tinsel.

"What is it?" Carla asked bending down to her daughters and Peter's level also.

"Mummy do it." Jada said, showing Carla that she wanted a very special belt made from tinsel.

"Oh I see…" Carla said smiling at Jada and helping her tie the tinsel into a knot, after she was done she said, "Wow Jada… look at you." Jada beamed down at her new belt and touched the tinsel gently as she said,

"Pretty." She then turned to Peter who had been just inches away from her the whole time and said, "Daddy look Jada." Peter looked up from the decorations he had been organising and looked at Jada instead. She was grinning with pride at her new found fashion accessory and even did a little twirl when Peter wolf whistled at her and said he loved it.

Jada's twirl was what did it.

It made Carla and Peter both laugh in sync and then they instantly caught each other's eye.

Carla had been expecting Peter to quickly look away from her but instead he just smiled nervously as Jada twirled again and said,

"Simon look!" She ran over to where he was stood to show him her new belt and left Carla and Peter all alone in the corner.

"Peter…" Carla began apologetically but he just shook his head and said,

"We'll talk about it later yeah?"

"Yeah." Carla said with nod and sure enough, after Simon had called it a night and gone to bed, Peter joined Carla alone on the sofa, they both had cups of teas in hand and it was quiet because the TV had been turned off a long time ago.

There was a rather awkward silence at first, one where Carla and Peter both sat and sipped their hot drinks companionably but Carla decided that she and Peter knew each other far too well and far too long for this kind of behaviour and said,

"You know I think my lack of sleep was the reason I snapped at you earlier… I was awake for most of it… I'm sorry for taking it out on you."

"Don't worry about it…" Peter began, "I mean… I think I know why you were a little reluctant to help out earlier…"

"Really?" Carla asked, her throat going so dry that she quickly took another sip of tea.

She then held her breath, wondering if Peter really did know after all.

"Yeah…" Peter said biting his lip, "It's hard for me too y'know… I just… well I try not to think about it too much..." He had worked out very quickly just why Carla had gotten so upset and the thought that she and Jada would be gone for Christmas was so painful for him also that he hadn't mentioned it, especially in front of Simon.

"Yeah… me too." Carla said with a slow nod of her head, she was about to say something but Peter very quickly interrupted her,

"I think it's best if we don't talk about it too… I mean… it's not as if its going to change things..." He said.

His tone was sad but not at all angry and once again he looked down at his mug before he could get too engulfed in Carla's gaze.

She didn't say anything because she didn't know how to say anything without wanting to burst into tears, she just took another sip of tea and smiled sadly at Peter when he eventually looked up at her and said,

"Anyways… I should also know better than to keep bothering you like that when you're in one of your moods."

"Eh? What moods?" Carla asked although she was smiling as she asked it, glad that Peter had sort of changed the subject a little.

"Oh come on Carla…" Peter chuckled, "You should come with a warning sign when you don't get much sleep, I know exactly where Jada gets it from…"

Carla could do nothing but nod at Peter this time because Jada Elise Barlow had been a right little nightmare to get into bed.

There was screaming and actual shouting involved when Peter carted her off to the bedroom for her bedtime story.

The reason for all the noise was because Carla had taken the piece of tinsel off Jada's waist so that she could put her pyjamas on.

Jada clung onto the piece of tinsel and said she waned to take it to bed but for obvious reasons her Mum and Dad said no.

Jada wailed as much as she could but to no avail and in the end Peter just picked her up and said it was bedtime.

She still cried and kicked and screamed but after a minute or two it was clear she was exhausted and she ended up falling asleep without even hearing the end of her book.

"I've never seen her like that before." Peter said shaking his head, "Do ya think I did the right thing just taking her out the room and off to bed...?" Carla found it sweet that Peter still needed validation from her sometimes and smiled at him as she said,

"Oh absolutely, I mean it worked didn't it. I think it was just because she was over tired, she didn't have a nap today either." Carla said and on cue she yawned loudly. "I was so hoping she would as well… just so I could get me head down for a bit." After another yawn, Peter who had been watching her smiled and said,

"Maybe it's time for you to go to bed too."

"You trying to get rid of me eh?" Carla asked poking Peter and putting her cup down on the table in front of her.

"Never." Peter replied and then he yawned, "I'm just knackered and could do with getting into bed too." Peter said finishing his tea and placing his mug next to Carla's.

"Was it a busy day at the shop then?" she asked,

"It's never a busy day at the shop…" Peter smirked making Carla laugh silently to her self before continuing. "I was up half the night too as it happens… I don't know why… I just couldn't seem to sleep."

"You as well then… I had no idea…" Carla said, surprised to hear that Peter had been awake too. She had been listening hard whilst laying in her own bed to see if there were any sounds of him being away but she couldn't seem to hear any so she had assumed he would have been fast asleep.

"Yeah, you should ave come out ere…we could ave kept each other company." Peter said as Carla stood up.

"Well I didn't know did I?" Carla said with half a smile and half a smirk at the idea of she and Peter "keeping each other company" during the early hours and as Peter went to the corner where he was keeping his duvet and pillows during the day time Carla then smiled and said, "Next time I will come out n check shall I?" She had been joking but Peter nodded at her and said,

"Yeah make sure you do." Carla nodded and him and there came the moment that they both hated about their current living situation.

Did they just say goodnight to each other and then go their separate ways like they had been doing since Carla arrived or did they hug?

Carla would have gone for a hug, but it still seemed like Peter was always trying to get away from her and she didn't want to embarrass herself so she just folded her arms and lingered about the living room for a moment whilst Peter sorted out his sleeping situation, once he was done she said,

"Goodnight then."

"Goodnight and I hope you ave a better night sleep tonight." Peter said with a soft smile.

"Yeah… you too." Carla said quietly, she went against the insane urge she had to hug Peter goodnight and turned on her heel but just before she went into the bedroom Peter called out her name,

"Carla…"

"Yeah." She said quickly, turning around quickly too.

"I errrr, I know I said we shouldn't talk about it but… just so you know… no matter what happens, this place is you n Jada's home… n it always will be, so if you wanted to stay… you're more than welcome… anytime." Peter said, he was smiling as he spoke but Carla could tell that he had found it difficult to say what he had just said.

"Thanks Peter." Carla said and she walked towards him, she knew she had to move fast, before she lost her nerve and before Peter could do anything she had bent down and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Night."

"Night." Peter replied as Carla stood up again slowly. She gave him one last smile before heading towards her bedroom.


	10. Saturday

Saturday Morning came and that meant that Carla and Jada had been back in Weatherfield for more than a week now. Peter and Simon had both prepared breakfast and had laid it out on the table. The breakfast consisted of French toast, and to go with it, Peter had fried up some bacon. He and Simon often had it with syrup and as Simon got it out of the cupboard, Carla and Jada emerged from their bedroom.

"Morning ladies." Peter said as Carla approached the table with a tired Jada in her arms.

"Morning." Carla said half way through a yawn, whilst Jada clung onto Simba. "What's all this?"

"Breakfast." Peter replied, unable to refrain from staring at both Carla and Jada. He secretly loved when Carla carried Jada like that, so effortlessly and lovingly, it was a look that Peter thought really suited her but that wasn't the only reason he was staring.

Jada was wearing a pair of red and white Minnie Mouse pyjamas, her brown hair was in a rather messy pony tail and as always she looked utterly adorable, Carla on the other hand, looked good too, although she looked more stunning than adorable.

She was wearing a pair of black pyjama shorts and a white vest with her freshly washed light brown hair hanging either side of her shoulders.

It was probably the least dressed Peter had seen her in years…

If you don't include the rather awkward moment when Peter almost walked in on Carla whilst she was in the shower earlier on that morning that is.

It happened at just gone eight am and Peter had literally just woken up, he rolled off the sofa to use the toilet and had taken off his T-shirt during the night after getting hot so he was only wearing his boxers as rubbed his eyes and he stumbled into the bathroom, he didn't realise that Carla was in there until it was too late.

"Oh god I'm so sorry!" Peter cried, turning around straight away as Carla let out a surprised squeal. For some reason she had totally forgotten to close the shower curtain that hung next to the bath although she didn't actually care that Peter had walked in on her, it more that she hadn't expected to see anyone there and it had made her jump.

"Peter…" Carla began, attempting to tell him it was okay but before she knew it, he had very quickly left the bathroom.

After she had finished in the shower, she got out and wrapped herself in a towel. As she dried herself she imagined Peter was probably sitting in the very next room feeling very embarrassed about things for no reason, so she took a deep breath before leaving the bathroom and decided that she should just quickly go out there and defuse the inevitable tension.

Steam came flowing out of the bathroom as she left and soon enough she found Peter sat on top of his duvet on the sofa. He was still topless and he was trying very hard to pretend like he hadn't just walked in on his estranged wife naked.

Carla approached him gingerly and shook her head before sitting down on the sofa next to him.

They didn't dare look at each other at first, they both stared ahead and sat in a humorous silence for a moment.

Carla eventually cleared her throat and was about to say something when Peter suddenly spoke first,

"Sorry." He said again but he had a small smirk on his face as he said it, one that if Carla had seen it, she would have known he wasn't actually that sorry. "I just woke up… I didn't think that you'd be in the shower so early."

It was glaringly obvious that he and Carla found the situation slightly funny but still, it was rather awkward, so awkward in fact that they both just continued to stare ahead of them.

"It's fine…" Carla began, not daring to look at Peter first because she was well aware that they were both sat closer a lot closer than normal and that she and Peter were both practically naked too. "It seems that Jada was having a little lay in so I thought I'd quickly jump in the shower before she woke up y'know…."

"Makes sense." Peter said licking his lips, "I err really should ave knocked first though."

"Don't worry about it…" Carla said, biting the bullet and turning to look at him first, "Besides, you've seen it all before Peter." She said with half a smile, knowing this was all rather ridiculous before she and Peter had probably seen each other naked thousands of times. Peter finally turned to look at Carla and couldn't help but grin when he catch her slightly embarrassed gaze.

"I sure ave…" Peter smirked, "Although if it makes you feel better I didn't actually see anything just then..." Peter then got up and off the sofa because as much as he wanted to sit next to a half naked Carla, he still needed to use the loo.

"You sound like your disappointed Barlow…" Carla called after him, she was grinning as Peter walked away from her and before he walked into the bathroom, he said,

"Oh... I am." He left Carla on the sofa alone in her fluffy white towel and he was more than a little disappointed when he returned and found that she was gone.

Breakfast was the next time that they were seeing each other and as Peter's gaze danced over Carla's bare legs as she and Jada approached the breakfast table, they were both reminded of the slightly mortifying moment this morning.

"What?" Carla said, trying not to grin foolishly when she realised that Peter was still watching her as she sat down with Jada on her lap.

"Nothing…" Peter said, trying to keep a straight face.

"Oh come on... it's not nothing is it?" Carla asked, "Not when you've got that ever so wicked grin on your face."

"Well..." Peter began in a highly mischievous mood. "I guess I'm just not used to seeing you with so many clothes on." He smirked.

"Oh ha ha..." Carla cried, kicking a fully dressed Peter lightly under the table, he laughed as he had received this kick and then turned his attention to his precious little daughter who was rubbing her eyes and still holding onto Simba.

"Good morning Jada." Peter said, getting up and leaning over the table so that he could get a kiss from Jada. She got up on Carla's knees so she could reach and gave her Dad a very wet kiss before rubbing her eyes again and saying,

"Toast Daddy." She was now staring down at the plate beneath her but Peter wasn't following her gaze. He had lingered over the table for a moment and kept his eyes totally fixated on Carla. She already had a piece of toast in hand and was chewing it slowly but she also had eyes locked onto his. "Daddy!" Jada cried, slamming her little hand down on the table impatiently.

The surprisingly loud noise of Jada's hand hitting the table made Peter actually jump back into his seat and as Carla laughed at their almost two year old's temper he said,

"Sorry love." Carla placed Jada down on the seat next to her as Simon came and sat down at the table also, in the chair on the other side of his sister. Peter handed Jada some toast and a beaker full of water as Carla looked at the lovingly prepared meal that was before her.

She was soon, so deep in thought that she had missed out on all the conversation at the table between Peter, Simon and even Jada.

"So do ya fancy coming with us then?" Peter asked Carla, suddenly snapping her out of her daydream.

"Where?" Carla asked picking up the cup of coffee that Simon had kindly made for her, she had given him a grateful nod and was in the middle of a sip when Peter raised an eyebrow and said,

"Swimming."

"Swimming?" Carla asked, confused because she hadn't been listening when Peter and Simon were just discussing about maybe taking Jada with them for a swim.

"Yeah… you know, swimming…" Peter said slowly with a chuckle "Where you get into a large pool of water and move about… n stuff." Peter mimed swimming comically as he spoke, making Simon laugh right out loud.

"Oh… Swimming." Carla nodded, furrowing her eyebrows together and playing up to Peter's sarcastic tone.

Things were slightly better between them after their little chat last night but now they even better after what had happened this morning, Simon watched his Dad and Carla who were still grinning at each other infectiously and then said,

"Yeah we wanted to take Jada with us, there's this new leisure centre in town that has a really nice pool, it's got these amazing slides too it's fun for all ages, We should all go.." Simon looked at Jada was thoroughly enjoying her slice of toast and kept licking her little lips and couldn't wait to take her with him to the swimming pool, he was always watching kids there looking after their siblings and a part of his heart always sunk because he knew he couldn't take his own sister swimming... until now of course.

"So what do ya say?" Peter asked, looking at Carla as hopefully as he could although he knew it was rather a long shot. "Do ya fancy coming swimming?"

He wondered if Carla had already made plans for today, or maybe that she just wouldn't want to go swimming because of just washing her hair or something like that.

"Well I would but… Me n Jada haven't got any swimming stuff with us?" Carla said, truthfully at that because when packing for her and Jada's impromptu visit back home to Manchester, swimming had been the last thing on her mind.

"Oh like that's an excuse…" Peter joked, clearly thinking about earlier and smirking at Carla who rolled her eyes at him.

"Well what do ya expect us to do Peter? Go completely starkers?" She replied and this comment did not help Peter's grin fade, in fact it had only enriched it.

"Course not…" He said after taking a rather relaxed sip of his coffee, "I mean I don't know how it works in L.A but over ere I reckon they probably frown upon that sort of thing but we could stop off at the shops and get you and Jada a swimming costume… Only if you wanted too of course..." Simon nodded at this seemingly good idea and bent down towards Jada.

"Jada do you want to go swimming?" he asked.

"Yes!" Jada cried excitedly, waving her arm so wildly that the piece of french toast in her hand went flying across the room. "Uh oh!" She said over dramatically, cupping her hand over her mouth as Simon laughed and went to fetch Jada's piece of toast.

"Well?" Peter asked casually although he could feel his heart pounding beneath his pyjama T-Shirt as he spoke.

He would have been lying if he said the feeling of the kiss she had left on his right cheek last night wasn't still lingering on his face.

He would have also been lying if he said that almost seeing Carla naked this morning hadn't sparked something inside of him, something that only made him want to get close to her and he would also be lying if he said he wasn't desperate for Carla to join them all at the swimming pool.

The idea of the four of them all driving down to the leisure centre together as a family and going swimming was almost too much for Peter to bear and he knew he wouldn't be able to handle it if Carla said no.

"Come on Carla…" Simon said, egging her on and also looking hopefully at her.

"Erm…" Carla said, looking down at an excited Jada who jumped up and down on her chair and said,

"Mummy swimmy pool!" She repeated it over and over again and stared so intently at her mother that Peter grinned and said,

"Oh come on… how can you say no to that face eh?" He was smiling dotingly at Jada who was gazing up at Carla with her bright green eyes sparkling.

"Yeah go on Carla, please..." Simon said and he put his best puppy dog expression on too, one that was so similar to Jada's that it made Carla's heart actually ache.

Peter looked between his two children who were both watching Carla hopefully and grinned because he knew there was no way on earth she would be able to resist saying Yes.

What Peter didn't realise was that it was also him that Carla couldn't seem to resist.

He got up of his chair and stood behind Jada and Simon, bending down so that his head was rested on Simon's and said,

"Well?" Carla smiled broadly as she closed her eyes for a moment just so she didn't have to gaze at the delectable sight before her for too long and after pretending to think about it for another second,

"Okay… Let's go swimming."

"Yay!" Simon and Peter cried in unison, actually going as far as high fiving each other as they stood up. Jada's reaction was only slightly delayed and she also shouted,

"Yay!" Then she held up her hands and giggled as her Dad and Simon high fived them too.

"Right then…" Peter said triumphantly, "Let's finish breakfast and start getting ready."

* * *

Carla had been a bit apprehensive to actually go to the swimming pool at first.

Mainly because she was suddenly feeling rather nervous about spending so much time with a once again half naked Peter because even after everything, it was clear that there was a very powerful attraction there but she was also a little reluctant to go swimming because she was worried that she wouldn't find a costume that she actually liked in the shops because after all, she was going swimming with an ex and as silly as it sounded, she had to make sure she looked perfect.

Luckily in the second shop that Carla, Peter and Jada had visited, Carla found a stylish black swimming costume that seemed like it was perfect, she decided that would do very nicely but only after trying it on of course.

Whilst she had been in the changing room, Peter had been left to take Jada to the kid's section and pick out a swimming costume for her, whilst there he ran into an old friend from school, He very proudly introduced Jada to his friend and couldn't stop himself from once again, grinning like an idiot.

It was moment's like that when he realised just how lucky he was to have this small but very decent chance to spend with not only Jada but Carla too and he tried his very best not to think about the fact that it would soon all be over.

After finally getting to where all the toddlers swimming costumes were in the shop, Peter bent down to Jada's level and said,

"Jada… you need to pick a swimming costume so we can all go swimming okay sweetie..." Jada nodded up at her Daddy and then gazed ahead at the choices that she had available.

As it was winter, there wasn't too many choices for Jada to pick from but the moment she saw a green and purple mermaid themed swimming costume she fell in love.

"Maymaid maymaid!" Jada cried, pointing up at the swimming costume that she wanted in excitement. Peter followed her gaze and smiled when he saw the one she had chosen.

"Oh that is too cute… Mummy's going to love it." He said, pulling the green and purple swimsuit of the shelf and checking the size. He suddenly felt slightly useless at this point because he didn't actually know what size clothes Jada actually wore and as Carla was still in the changing rooms he had no one to ask.

In the end he just held a few of the swimming costumes, right up against an enthusiastic Jada and guessed that she'd probably need the one in size _one and a half to two years old_ because even though Jada turned two next week, she was still rather dinky and it really didn't look like she'd need a bigger size.

On the way to the till Peter couldn't help but pick up a few other bits of clothing for Jada and by the time Carla had found them at the cash desk, he was also clutching a hairbrush, a pair of socks and a set of hair clips, all items which Jada had picked of the shelf whilst walking past.

Carla had asked to see Jada's new swimming costume after Peter had paid for it but he insisted on keeping it as a surprise and said that Carla could see it when they got to the pool. They had left Simon in the car with his iphone because he really detested shopping and after returning it to it at around twelve thirty pm, they were soon on their way to the leisure centre.

They all got dressed in the family changing rooms, Peter taking Jada with him whilst Simon and Carla got into their swimming gear on their own.

Peter bent down and helped Jada wiggled out her clothes, praying that the swimming costume would fit her properly because he wanted to show Carla he had made the right decision and that he could handle something like that.

"Wowee..." Peter said, looking at Jada once she was dressed in her shiny new swimsuit. It fitted like a dream and Jada looked utterly delightful.

"Ariel…" Jada said, stroking her tummy at the start of the tail part of her costume. She had been referring to the Little Mermaid, another one of her favourite movies but this one wasn't one that Peter was all too familiar with so he looked confused.

"Ariel?" He repeated but Jada didn't have time to reply because they suddenly both heard,

"Come on you two get a wiggle on." It was Carla and she had been ready in her swimming costume for a good few minutes now, She was stood outside the little cubicle Peter and Jada had gone into. Simon was there too and he was just finishing blowing up the arm bands that they had bought for Jada in the swimming pool shop.

Carla was staring into the mirror near by as she tied her long hair into a braid but when she saw Jada and Peter finally walk out of the cubicle, she was diverted.

"Look Mummy! Jada maymaid!" Jada said beaming proudly down at her self, She had walked out of her and her Dad's changing cubicle so slowly and delicately it was as if she thought walking too fast would somehow ruin her mermaid costume. "Look me look me!" She repeated, as she slowly approached her proud Mum.

"You look beautiful baby." Carla said, half laughing and half wanting to cry at how cute her daughter looked. Peter smiled as Carla bent down and gave Jada a hug and patted Simon on the back happily as Jada then realised she hadn't shown her big brother her swimming costume.

"Look Simon…" She said, gazing up at him. "Maymaid… Ariel."

"What's Ariel?" Peter asked with a chuckle as he and Carla made their way to the shallow pool with Jada and Simon in tow.

"You mean who." Carla said grinning, "Ariel's the little mermaid... She has a purple top and green tail, I think that's where the inspiration for her swimming costume came from."

"Oh… right." Peter said with a nod, Simon had bent down further ahead and was helping Jada into her armbands as Carla said,

"I'm surprised you avent heard Jada mention her before, that's another one of her favourite movies actually…" She smiled at the sight of Simon on his knees in front of his little sister and then said, "God she looks so cute, good choice Peter."

"Oh well, I can't actually take credit for it… it was all Jada's choice" He said strolling next to Carla who he couldn't help but keep staring at when he wasn't looking at Jada and Simon of course.

Carla was more than aware that she was being watched and smiled sheepishly down at herself as they reached Jada and Simon who were stood hand in had at the edge of the shallow pool.

"Swimmy time!" Jada said jumping up and down suddenly, looking totally excited to get into the pool with her family. Peter smiled at Carla one last time before scooping Jada up and taking her into the pool with him.

They all messed about in the very shallow part of the pool for a while, where Jada kicked the water at her feet wildly and thoroughly enjoyed wetting her brother, mother and Dad but she soon kept venturing towards the deeper part of the pool and wanting to go in, so Peter put her on his back and swam further in with her. Simon soon followed afterwards but Carla on the other hand went sat on the edge of the pool, leaving just her legs in the water.

At first, Peter and Simon had just left her too it, but after a while, Peter swam up to Simon and said,

"Ere… take Jada for a minute will ya." He handed Jada to Simon and as Jada pointed over at the slide, which was near by, Peter slowly swam towards Carla who was smiling at him with her head on one side.

"You alright?" Peter breathed, watching her closely.

"Course." She said, nodding at Peter truthfully, she was more than all right actually and was simply enjoying the image of Peter and Simon playing with Jada. He nodded at her and moved closer so that he was directly in front of her legs which she had hanging into the pool. "What?" Carla sighed, shaking her head and grinning at Peter who was in front of her. She could instantly tell he had a smart comment on the way.

"Well… it's just… you know swimming… it usually means you have to get into the water." Peter said, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Yeah I did get into the water..." Carla replied, folding her arms and looking down on Peter in the water.

"Hardly..." Peter smirked, "Look at you... you're practically bone dry."

"I am not..." Carla said, kicking so that she splashed Peter with water. He dodged it expertly and then flicked his hand, sending rather a lot of water her way.

"Stop!" Carla cried, shaking her head as her hair dripped with water. Peter let her be because she then glanced up at Simon and Jada who were in line to go down a little elephant slide together, Carla started laughing because Jada was waving wilding at her shouting,

"Mummy look!"

"Hello Jada!" Carla called, waving back and then sighing happily. She and Peter watched as Simon climbed up onto the slide that he was really much too big for and put Jada on his lap. "She's having such a good time." Carla smiled, laughing as Jada and Simon shot down the slide together, they both went splashing into the pool and Jada was in fits of laughter when she emerged from the water.

"Yeah she's a right little water baby." Peter said smiling over at his kids with complete pride, Simon and Jada both went for another turn on the slide and as they went down again Peter asked, "Do you two go swimming much in California?"

The moment he had asked that question, he felt like an idiot.

He was sure that Carla and Jada must go swimming a lot there, he was also sure that Carla's best friend Susie had a swimming pool in her back garden and guessed that Jada and Carla probably spent many afternoons there enjoying the sunshine.

"Yes." Carla nodded, "We go on Fridays… Jada actually has little swimming lessons."

"Ahhh I should ave guessed." Peter said nodding because Jada had seemed very very confident in the water when they had first arrived.

"It's nothing too serious, they just float about and learn how to kick n stuff…" Carla said smiling, "It's actually really cute because they have all this music playing, Jada loves it."

"And what about her mother?" Peter said, leaning against the wall of the pool next to Carla.

"Me?" She asked with an eyebrow raised, "I already know how to swim."

"Yeah I know that." Peter laughed, "I mean what do you love… what do ya do for fun?" Carla shrugged at first, taking another look at Simon and Jada who were now floating across the pool on a large rectangular float which a life guard had given them.

She tried to think about what she did for fun but everything she came up with was something to do with Jada and she knew that wasn't what Peter meant.

She'd guessed he wanted to know more about what she did on her own and she really couldn't come up with anything.

"Erm… Well I like to shop." Carla said, earning a very sarcastic

"No!" from Peter, he laughed at first as Carla gave him a gentle kick under the water but then, after she didn't speak he looked serious. "Is that it?" He asked, not meaning to sound so intruding but wanting to find out a little more about Carla's life in L.A.

There was a part of him that wanted to come right out and say,

 _"Did you date anyone in L.A?"_ But he knew he couldn't, especially since a public swimming pool wasn't the place for that kind of conversation.

"I mean... don't you go out at night n stuff?" He ended up asking, trying to act subtle but not actually managing it.

"You're a right a nosy parker." said Carla, smiling at him coyly.

"Sorry..." Peter nodded, "I was trying to show an interest in the mother of my child that's all..." Carla nodded and him and gazed into the distance at Jada and Simon as she spoke,

"I do go out... with some of the girls from work... but not that often."

"Why not?" Peter said, biting his lip and lifting up his legs so that he was now floating in the water.

"I don't really ave anyone to leave Jada with other than Susie, I'm not the kinda person who'd just leave her with a random babysitter y'know, So a lot of the time, it's just me n Jada at home." Carla said smiling but Peter wasn't smiling and she could tell it was because he felt like a lot of this was his fault. "It's fine Peter…" She said watching his rather guilty expression and shaking her head, "That's how I like it.

Peter nodded at Carla, a little dismayed to hear that she didn't get the chance to go out much and decided that he was definitely going to do something about that later, for now though, He looked over at Jada and Simon who were still floating about the pool and then back at Carla who said,

"So what do you do then? For fun?"

"Erm..." Peter replied, suddenly deep in thought as Carla laughed.

"Not such an easy question to answer is it?" She said smugly.

"No... it's not." Peter said, putting his legs down and standing up in the water properly, Jada and Simon were still floating about the pool together, Simon sat cross legged on the float with a delighted Jada on his lap. "Right..." Peter said, deciding to change the subject as he flashed Carla a wicked grin. "Let's get you wet."

"Don't even think about it Barlow." Carla said pointing at Peter and knowing exactly what the grin on Peter's face meant. He moved closer towards her as she cried, "Peter... No!" but before she knew it, She had been pulled head first into the water below.

* * *

After a fun filled afternoon of swimming, Peter, Carla, Simon and Jada all had an afternoon nap when they had gotten back to the flat. Carla had been the one to fall asleep first, only going into the bedroom to find something but being found fast asleep on the bed by Simon moments later, when he went to ask if she wanted a cup of tea.

Jada fell asleep next, in her Dad's arms on the sofa with Simba in her arms and it was Simon who fell asleep last, in his own bed after he had decided that he might as well have a nap too because soon after Jada had fallen asleep, his Dad had joined her.

Hours and hours later and Peter had been the one to wake up first. He very gently got up and put Jada in bed with her Mum. Jada moved as Peter put her down and curled up against Carla who, half asleep, put an arm over her daughters middle and cuddled her close.

Peter smiled warmly at the sight before him and even though he could have watched them both sleep all afternoon, he decided that he was going to go over and see his Dad, just so that he could tell him all about his fun filled day.

As soon as he got through the front door of Number One, Peter told his Dad all about his swimming trip with Jada, Simon and Carla and even after that, he still didn't stop talking about them all, Filling Ken in on every funny conversation and sweet thing that Jada did.

Even though Peter did tend to go on a bit, His Dad still smiled and listened intently because he truly felt like he hadn't seen his son this happy in years and it was a sight that he just couldn't get enough of.

When Amy and Tracy came in fresh from a shopping trip, Peter started his swimming story all over again and he couldn't help but smile every time he said Carla and Jada's names.

He eventually ran out of steam and left his Dad's house at Six forty five pm. He had intended on going straight back to his flat but then he had a sudden brain wave, one that had him turning back on himself and going into the Rover's Return pub.

When Peter returned home properly, it was seven pm and when he walked through the front door he was pleasantly surprised.

He walked into his flat to see Carla and Jada stood in his kitchen. They were listening to music on Carla's phone and were both wearing aprons, it appeared that they were cooking and as Peter got closer he saw that they really were.

Jada was standing on one of the dining room chairs so she could reach the counter. Her apron was actually an adult one which Carla had tied so it fitted her properly and she had her tiny hands delved into a large bowl of grated cheese.

Simon was sat on the sofa with some school books on his lap and as Peter got closer to him he very quickly and truthfully said,

"They wouldn't let me help Dad." Peter smiled at Simon as he approached the kitchen and saw that Jada was busy sprinkling a rather large amount of cheese on top of what looked like an uncooked lasagne.

After four days of Peter's cooking, Carla had decided it was time she helped out and cooked a meal for them all instead.

Peter had been so surprised the other day when he learnt that she now knew how to cook and Carla couldn't help but feel like she needed to show him just how good at cooking she had actually become.

Before Jada, whenever Carla had tried to cook, she would burn anything and everything and when it came to following recipes she was utterly useless at getting the measurements just right but now she could cook all sorts of different meals and actually had some of her favourite recipes memorised, one of those recipes being the lasagne.

"Hey… how was your Dad?" Carla asked Peter, as Jada went for another handful of cheese.

"Yeah he's good thanks." Peter nodded, "He's invited us all round for dinner tomorrow if you're up for it."

"Course… I am..." Carla began and then she laughed at Jada who was going for another lot of cheese. "Yeah I think that's enough darlin…" She took the bowl of grated cheese off Jada who was done anyway because she had suddenly realised Peter was there.

"Daddy Jada helping." She said, raising her arms and showing Peter that she wanted him to hold her. When Peter had picked her up she kissed him on the lips lovingly and put her arms right around his neck. Carla smiled fondly at them both as she picked up the lasagne dish and walked towards the oven.

"Wow…" Peter said, staring at the dish Carla now had in her hand, he then glanced around the kitchen which didn't look too bad considering she had been cooking. "Did you make that from scratch?" He asked, he didn't know too much about lasagne but he knew it must take a lot of effort to prepare.

"Yes." Carla replied, Peter grinned at her and then looked over at Simon who said,

"She did Dad, I saw it."

"Cheek!" Carla said, pretending to be offended at the way Peter had looked at Simon, as she bent down to put it the lasagne the oven she said, "Although I didn't make the garlic bread… that's from Freshco's."

"Right." Peter chuckled, still holding Jada in his arms. Carla nodded at him with a smile and as she took her apron off she said,

"It'll be ready in about half n hour."

"Can't wait." Peter replied, genuinely excited to try what Carla had cooked. It was clear that she knew exactly what she had been doing by the lack of mess she had made because in the past, a simple fry up would have caused his kitchen to be a total state of chaos and as Carla put the cheese into the fridge and set a timer on her phone, Peter couldn't help but admire this change in her.

She slowly walked past him as he put Jada down and then he remembered what he had just done and where he had just been.

"Oh…" He said, taking off Jada's apron and gaining Carla's attention again. "I saw Chelle when I was on me way back ere…"

"Oh yeah?" Carla asked, walking back towards the kitchen, she stopped in front of Peter who stood back up and as Jada ran towards the sofa where Simon was sat with his books.

"Yeah… she told me to tell you that she wanted you both to go out tonight…" Peter said innocently. "N I was thinking about what you said earlier… about not going out much… So… what d'ya reckon… d'ya wanna go?"

"Erm… I guess." Carla said, "I mean… if you don't mind."

"Course not." Peter scoffed, He smiled at Carla who looked slightly thrilled at the prospect of going out and then added, "Chelle said to call her if you wanted to go."

"Alright…" Carla said excitedly, nodding at Peter before going to get her phone, she smiled at him before walking into her bedroom and knew that this idea of her going out with Michelle had to be one of his.

* * *

Carla's lasagne shocked Simon and Peter to their very cores. It was delicious and had them both going back to the kitchen for second helpings.

At first they had been messing about and talking about the last time Carla had cooked them meal but after they had taken their first bite, their eyes both widened and it was clear that Carla had gotten extremely good at cooking.

"Carla that was delicious." Peter said in awe, putting his fork down onto his empty plate. Jada was licking sauce of her fingers and was being cleaned up as Simon nodded and said,

"I agree."

"Awww thanks you two." Carla said, beaming with pride. She was covered in sauce thanks to sitting next to Jada and when she had finished wiping Jada down with some wipes she had started to gather all the plates together.

"No… leave em." Peter said, looking down at his watch, "Didn't you say you were meeting Michelle across the road at Nine?"

"Yes…" Carla began, but Peter wasn't having any of it. He got up and took the plates of Carla as he said,

"Well then, leave the plates, I'll do it. You go n get ready for your night out."

Carla had planned on helping Peter but when he insisted, she headed towards the bedroom and started to get ready.

She appeared back into the living room just over half an hour later and was met by the sight of Peter, Simon and Jada sat on the sofa watching television. Jada was sat in Peter's arms with her thumb in her mouth, she was staring at the television but her eye lids were drooping and it was clear she was going to fall asleep any minute now.

Carla smiled affectionately over at the sofa and walked over to the armchair with her shoes in hand, Peter glanced over at her and then did a double take before tapping Jada gently on the shoulder and saying,

"Oh Jada… doesn't Mummy look gorgeous…" Carla tried very hard not to blush as Jada took her attention away from the TV and looked at her Mum before taking her thumb out of her mouth and saying,

"Pretty Mummy."

Carla was wearing a pair of black faux leather leggings and a white shirt, which she hadn't quite buttoned the entire way up so she was showing quite a bit of skin. She had left her hair in it's natural wavy state after swimming earlier and had put on a pair of hooped earrings on which Peter could see underneath it.

Her make up was minimal but she had applied a thick coat of mascara to her eyelashes, which made her eyes stand out even more than they already did and as Carla sat down on the armchair she said,

"Thank you." She then reached over and poked Jada in the tummy before smiling at Peter and beginning to put on her boots.

"Where Mummy going?" Jada said, staring up at Peter curiously.

"Mummy's going out with Auntie Chelle." Peter said, as Simon nodded and said,

"You do look dead nice Carla."

"Cheers Si." Carla said, suddenly feeling rather self-conscious, she sat with Peter, Jada and Simon for a while to watch TV but it soon became time for her to leave.

"Ave a good night." Peter said, getting up off the sofa with Jada who was asleep once more, she still had Simba underneath an arm and as Peter rose, Simba fell onto the floor.

"Thanks." Carla said with a whisper, bending down and picking up Simba. "I won't be out too late."

"Dont be silly..." Peter said, taking Simba of Carla. "Stay out as late as you want, it's nothing to do with me."

"I know..." Carla said, reaching out and tenderly stroking Jada's head. "But still... I won't be out too late..." She then bent forwards to kiss Jada gently on the head as she said, "Bye bye Jada."

"Bye bye Mummy." Peter said softly, smiling at Carla warmly. She fought against the urge she had to hug him goodbye and gave him a coy wave before saying,

"See ya later."

She met Michelle outside the pub at nine pm, and as they linked arms excitedly Carla said,

"Right, where we going?"

"No idea..." Michelle said with a shrug, dressed in a black dress and black heels. "Where do ya fancy?"

"I dunno..." Carla said, as they walked down Coronation Street, "I'm not too fussed really, just somewhere we can have a good catch up."

Michelle and Carla were in the middle of discussing where to go when a suited and booted Nick Tilsley walked past them towards his resturant.

"Alright Nick?" Michelle called, causing Nick to turn around and smiled at her and Carla.

"Yeah I can't complain... How are you two?" He asked, still smiling at the sight of a dressed up Carla and Michelle.

"Yeah we're alright, aren't we Carla?" Michelle nodded, Carla nodded too and then said,

"We're just deciding where to go tonight."

"Is that so?" Nick asked, his smile wider than ever as his gaze suddenly fixed right on Carla. "Well may I suggest the bistro down the road... I've heard it's very good."

"Oh yeah?" Carla laughed,

"Yeah," Nick grinned, "I know the owner." Carla laughed again, Michelle did too and then cheekily said,

"Well I don't suppose the owner would let us ave a bottle of wine on the house would he?" Carla nudged her best friend in the stomach but Nick just laughed cheerily and said,

"Hmmm maybe, if you're very nice to him that is." He began walking on again, turning back to nod at Carla and Michelle before going right into the Bistro.

"What d'ya reckon? Should we go to the bistro for a quick drink before heading into town?" Michelle asked, Carla looked down at her high heels and then over at the Bistro which was literally a few feet away,

"Yeah why not, Might as well get a few free drinks in eh?" She nodded and with that, her and Michelle headed towards Nick's Bistro.


	11. Moments

Michelle and Carla walked into Nick's Bistro to find that it was extremely busy. Each table had people at it and it also seemed like everyone was working tonight, Leanne and Steph were behind the bar whist Nick and Andy were dealing with the many, many customers that were having a good time in their restaurant.

The bistro, like most places, had been decorated for Christmas by now and in each corner stood a beautifully lit tree and fairy lights had also been hung all over the walls too.

The fact that the bistro was so busy, meant that there were no tables for Carla and Michelle to sit at so Steph took them over to the bar and promised that she'd get them a table as soon as she could.

"Ahhh don't worry about it Steph, We're not actually eating, Just here for a few glasses of wine before going into town…" Michelle said, as Carla jumped up onto the stool next to her.

She smiled at her surroundings and couldn't help but feel pleased to be out with her bestest friend. She couldn't remember the last time she had been in a restaurant without Jada by her side and even though she loved her daughter to pieces, Carla had to admit it felt really pleasant to be on a proper grown up night out.

Nick had been talking to a customer nearby when Steph had shown Michelle and Carla over to the bar, after Steph had left them with the drinks menu and after he had finished his conversation with the customer of course, he made his way over to the bar area briskly and with a smile he approached Carla and Michelle saying,

"Hello ladies, So you decided to come after all then?" Carla gave him a friendly smile as Michelle put her bag on the bar in front of her, she raised an eyebrow at Nick and nodded, whilst Carla was the one to speak first.

"Well how could we say no when we're offered free booze eh?" She said with a smile, reminding Nick on the offer he had made outside.

"Free booze? Said who?" Nick joked, acting as if he knew nothing about this free booze situation as he leant on the bar next to Carla.

"Eh don't even try it Tilsley…" Carla said, nudging Nick hard in the side with her elbow. He chuckled loudly as Michelle nodded and said,

"Yeah, I think you'll find that you said the owner might let us have a free drink."

"Mmmhhhmm I did, if you were really nice to him that is." Nick said with a smirk.

"Define nice?" Carla said smirking back at Nick, unaware that Leanne Battersby was watching her from a far.

"Well no more lethal nudges for a start." Nick said, dramatically rubbing the spot where Carla had nudged him. "How's the little one?" He asked her.

"Yeah she's good thanks, fast asleep when I left, bless her." Carla said, smiling like she always did when ever anyone asked her about Jada, Michelle just looked down at her hands feeling like a bit of a third wheel whilst Nick and Carla spoke about Jada.

Carla spoke normally, smiling politely and watching Nick in a friendly fashion but Nick was a little different, he spoke as if he was enchanted almost and when the conversation between Carla and him naturally died down, Michelle decided it was time to intervene and very cheekily ask,

"So… where exactly are we on the free drink scale then?" Nick chuckled once more at Michelle as Carla just nodded and when Steph returned, he said to her,

"Steph… let these two have their first drink on the house."

"Errr okay." Steph said, nodding at her boss who gave Carla and Michelle a very friendly smile before walking over to a table where someone wanted to speak to him.

Michelle watched Nick walk away from them and then turned back to Carla who was staring down at the drinks menu.

"So are we getting wine or cocktails?" Carla asked, not sure which option to go for because just like she had told Peter last week, she really wasn't a drinker anymore.

"I dunno?" Michelle said with a shrug, "What would you prefer?" Carla was still reading the menu when Leanne eventually walked over to her and Michelle to ask them if they were ready to order yet.

Leanne was Peter's ex and even though she and Peter had ended it years and years ago, things were still very awkward between her and Carla.

Since Carla had been back, she and Leanne hadn't really had many exchanges, they just gave each other civil nods and smiles but they hadn't had any desires to talk to each other due to their rather stormy history.

"Right what can I get ya both?" Leanne asked, looking at Carla who still hadn't made her mind up on what to drink.

"Errrrrrm." Carla began, smiling as she looked down at the menu. Leanne raised an eyebrow at Carla and looked at Michelle who quickly said,

"Can I just have a large glass of red please?" Leanne nodded towards Michelle and then turned back to an indecisive Carla. "Carla?"

"Errr I still aven't decided." Carla replied, scanning the cocktail menu again as she spoke.

"Well in your own time." Leanne said rather shortly, looking as if she was starting to get annoyed in waiting for Carla to decided. Carla knew she was winding Leanne right up and so she closed the menu and quickly said,

"I'll just ave a glass of red too." Leanne sighed slightly and then went over to where the wine was to pour Carla and Michelle's drinks. "I see Leanne's still as miserable as sin then." Carla said, watching Leanne who was at the other end of the bar pouring their drinks.

"Oh she's not that bad…" Michelle said smiling, "Although when it comes to you I guess she still holds a grudge…"

"Well I don't flamin know why." Carla scoffed, "I mean all that stuff with Peter was years n years ago, she should really be over it all by now."

"Yeah…" Michelle said, turning to look at Nick and then back at Carla, "Although I don't think her current mood is to do with you n Peter if I'm honest."

"Eh?" Carla said, frowning and not understanding what Michelle meant by this and especially not understanding why she had turned to look at Nick.

There was no time to explain though because Leanne had soon returned with their glasses of wine and as she put them down, Nick very quickly ran over and said,

"Those are on the house Lea…" Leanne stared at Nick for a moment and then shook her head as she walked away from the bar to serve someone else.

"Cheers Nick." Michelle said and as Carla picked up the large glass of red wine she also said,

"Cheers."

Once Nick was a good way away, Michelle lowered her voice, because Leanne was still lurking and said,

"I reckon he's got a bit of a crush on you y'know."

"Who?" Carla gulped, halfway through a sip of wine when Michelle had spoken. Michelle laughed and made sure that Nick was still far away before saying,

"Nick."

"Nick Tilsley?" Carla exclaimed.

"Shhhhh!" Michelle said, poking Carla roughly on the shoulder and turning to make sure Nick and Leanne were both out of earshot.

"Ow…" Carla groaned, putting her wine glass down on the bar before turning to look at Nick who was stood talking to Andy about something on the menu. "Nick Tilsley?" Carla then repeated, only talking quieter this time.

"Yes Nick Tilsey, how many other Nick's d'ya know who live around ere?" Michelle replied, wrapping a hand around her wine glass as she took another glance at Nick.

"Oh please…" Carla said, shaking her head and taking another sip of wine.

"I'm being serious Car… I mean I've been watching him and I reckon he might fancy you." Michelle explained, remembering how every time Nick looked at Carla, his eyes looked brighter.

"Chelle we've only been in ere five minutes." Carla said, shaking her head again, almost laughing at what her best friend was suggesting.

"Yeah I know but yesterday when you and Jada had popped into the pub, I watched him and even though you didn't talk, his eyes were still on stalks the entire time." Michelle said, watching Carla who still wasn't convinced.

"No…" Carla said, sure Michelle had got this all wrong. "He's just being nice that's all… besides, didn't you say he has a girlfriend?"

"No." Michelle said, making sure that Nick was still on the other side of the restaurant and that he wasn't somewhere where he could over hear their conversation.

"Yes you did…" Carla nodded, "Back after I'd first got ere… when you told me about the baby they lost."

"Oh…" Michelle nodded, "I did mention her but they aren't actually together anymore, they spilt just afterwards… they did try to stay together but in the end they decided to be mates."

"Oh right…" Carla said, nodding slowly as she picked up her glass of wine and took a sip.

"So…" Michelle said eagerly, grinning as Carla put her glass back down on the bar.

"So…" Carla mimicked, looking rather blankly at her best friend.

"Nick… would ya?" Michelle said with a suggestive eyebrow raise, one that told Carla exactly what Michelle was getting at.

"Oh as if Chelle!" Carla cried, playfully shoving Michelle and shaking her head.

"What?" Michelle giggled, "He's younger than you, he's handsome and he's got his own restaurant… what more could you want eh?"

"Yeah, he's all those things…" Carla nodded with both eyebrows raised at her friends ridiculous suggestion, "But may I remind you that he is also the ex husband of my ex husband's ex wife… I mean talk about complicated."

"Okay…" Michelle said with a nod, laughing when she actually thought things through for a moment.

"Besides, I'm leaving ere, I'm hardly gonna start a relationship with someone new am I?" Carla said, hating the way it tasted when she talked about leaving Weatherfield and taking another large gulp of wine to try and get rid of it.

"I know…" Michelle said, nodding sadly at the mention of Carla leaving because she desperately didn't want to lose her oldest and bestest friend again so soon. "But still no one is saying you ave to marry the man… you could just have a bit of fun… "

"Fun?" Carla replied, rolling her eyes at the very idea of her having "fun" with Nick Tilsey.

Yes he had been extremely nice to her since she had arrived back in Weatherfield and Yes, he was rather good looking but Carla had way too much awkward history to be even thinking about going anywhere near Nicholas Tilsley.

There was also another reason she wouldn't be having "fun" with Nick but it was a reason she was keeping strictly to herself because if she told Michelle she'd never hear the end of it.

It was a reason that was sat across the road and down the street from her and that was currently looking after their almost two-year-old daughter.

"Admit it though…" Michelle said, bringing Carla's attention back to Nick who was stood with his arms casually folded, now deep in conversation with Steph.

"Admit what?" Carla sighed, wondering what on earth Michelle was going to be getting at now.

"You like the attention from Nick, don't ya?"

"No…" Carla began, but she knew Michelle could see right through this act eventually said, "Okay… yeah I do, but not because I fancy him back… I mean I'm still sure he's just being nice to me but because it's nice to be out y'know… I don't do this sort of thing often in L.A… I'm always with Jada. Don't get me wrong I adore spending so much time with her but I'll admit it's nice to be out with some grown ups and to get some attention… even if it is from Nicky Tilsey."

"Eh listen, y'know you could do a lot worse than him y'know." Michelle said, downing the rest of her wine and then laughing.

"I know n Trust me Chelle, I ave done." Carla said, going wide eyed at some of the men she had dated in the past.

"Hey…" Michelle said now looking as if she had suddenly remembered something, "Did you ever go on that date, y'know, that guy you mentioned the last time we skyped, the one who had asked you out from work?"

"Oh him…" Carla said, shaking her head and taking another sip of her wine. "Nope… I was meant to go the night I came ere… I called him and said I had to make a last minute trip home."

"Oh right… so are you gonna reschedule then or...?" Michelle said, watching Carla who was running a finger around the brim of her wine glass slowly.

"Erm… probably not." Carla eventually replied, "I mean he's lovely n everything but… I dunno, not really my type."

"Oh come on babe…" Michelle said, "You ave to date someone eventually… I mean how longs it been?"

"Since what?" Carla replied but she knew what Michelle was asking and Michelle knew that Carla knew too.

"You know exactly what Carla Barlow." Michelle said nudging Carla in the side and grinning, "So go on then, how long?"

"D'ya know what Chelle, I really don't wanna talk about my non existent sex life right now okay." Carla said, half laughing and half sighing, Michelle nodded at her best friend and decided that for now, a change of subject was needed.

"Okay..." Michelle nodded, as Carla picked up her glass and finished off the wine, which she had left. "How's life at Casa de Barlow then?"

"Erm…" Carla began, not sure that this subject was much better because she knew that sure enough, they'd be on the subject which was Peter and she new if anyone was going to drag out her real feelings on Peter, it would be Michelle. "It's good… really good actually."

"Yeah?" Michelle asked but Carla nodded at her with a convincing smile. "I was a little concerned after that little meltdown you had on the phone last night over the Christmas tree."

"Okay… let me rephrase me answer…" Carla said with a nod, remembering how she had felt last night when Peter and Simon had returned home with their huge Christmas tree. "Life at Casa de Barlow is good as long as we all dance around the fact that in two weeks time me n Jada will be five thousand miles away from ere."

"Oh… in two weeks… that soon?" Michelle replied, looking downtrodden once again at the thought of Carla leaving.

"And that, my best friend, is why no one mentions me n Jada leaving." Carla said, watching Michelle's expression sadly. Leanne re-appeared and as she went to take Carla and Michelle's empty glasses, Michelle politely said to her,

"Can we get two more please?"

"And are you paying for these ones?" Leanne asked, looking at Carla sideways before turning her attention back to Michelle. Carla just ignored Leanne, deciding it was best to not give her the satisfaction of a response whilst Michelle nodded and said,

"Yes Leanne, we will be." Leanne nodded back and as she went to get the wine, Michelle looked back at Carla and said,

"So anyways… back to life at Peter's…" She decided that she also wanted to avoid the subject of Carla leaving as much as possible because it really did hurt when she thought about her and Jada being so far away again. "How's Jada taken to it?"

"Like a duck takes to water." Carla replied, smiling at how much Jada loved living with her Dad and brother. "Honestly Chelle… that's what makes all of this worth it. Seeing Jada, Peter and Simon together makes all the awkward moments seem like nothing."

Leanne returned back to where Michelle and Carla were sat and placed the bottle of wine in front of their glasses, she rolled her eyes for about the a hundredth time and said,

"Nick said you can ave this on the house too…" She looked at Carla as she spoke and then said, "Must be your lucky night." Carla just smiled falsely and said,

"Cheers Leanne." Whilst Michelle turned to Nick and called,

"Ta Nick… we owe ya one."

"You sure do…" Nick called back, smiling broadly, especially when Carla had turned around to say thank you.

"See…" Michelle said, turning back around with her eyes wide. "He so likes you."

"Oh not that again…" Carla sighed, picking up the bottle of wine and beginning to pour her and Michelle another drink. "I thought we were talking about Peter."

"Well actually we were talking about you staying at Peter's but hey, if you wanna talk about him specifically then go ahead." Michelle said, taking the glass Carla had just filled up with their favourite red wine.

Carla took a large sip of wine at the same time as Michelle and then, after another she decided to tell Michelle about what had happened between her and Peter this morning.

"He walked in on me in the shower earlier."

"He did what?" Michelle half spluttered, with her eyes wide once again.

"You heard…" Carla said shaking her head and remembering how awkward it had been earlier.

"Well what did ya do?" Michelle asked.

"What could I do?" Carla replied in a confused fashion. "He ran out of there before I could say much but afterwards… I dunno… we kind had this little moment."

"Oh yeah?" Michelle asked intrigued.

"Don't get excited Chelle." Carla said, reading Michelle's enthusiastic expression. "I just mean it was like we needed something like that to have happened to ease the tension between us… We went swimming today… with Jada n Si and everything was fine… it was like old times… me n Peter got along like a house on fire and that is exactly what Jada needs right now, us getting along... Like a proper family."

"Well... I'm glad about that… you and Peter... Getting along." Michelle said vaguely, smiling at Carla with the same expression that she had before when speaking about Nick.

"Michelle McDonald stop looking at me like that…" Carla warned, "I know exactly what you're thinking and let me tell you I cannot go there… I just can't."

"I know, I know…" Michelle said, sighing and picking up her glass again. "You're leaving in two weeks."

"Yes I am." Carla nodded, although her voice broke as she spoke and when she picked up her wine glass she almost had tears in her eyes.

There was a horrible silence at the table for a moment and as Carla swigged another gulp of wine, she couldn't help but glance over at Nick, he had been watching her and very quickly averted his gaze when Carla caught him staring.

She blushed slightly and took another lot of wine before looking at Michelle and saying,

"Come on… let's finish this bottle and go into town."

* * *

Twenty-five minutes later and Michelle and Carla were done with their bottle of free wine.

Michelle had gone to the toilet and left a slightly tipsy Carla stood alone by the door to the bistro. After years of not drinking very much, Carla was feeling a little more intoxicated than she was used to and this was a very odd experience for her to deal with.

Before hand, she could help Michelle polish off a bottle of wine and barley feel a thing but now she was finding it hard to not be affected by the sudden amount of wine that was in her system.

"You alright?" A voice asked, and Carla knew who was asking before she even turned around.

"Yeah… just waiting for Michelle to get out of the loos…" Carla said, turning to look at Nick who was now stood directly in front of her.

"Are you leaving?" Nick asked, he didn't look too disappointed but he didn't exactly look thrilled at the idea of Carla going either.

"Yeah… there's this bar we wanted to check out in town…" Carla began, "Not that this place isn't lovely." She added with a smile, realising for the first time since she had been inside the bistro that it had all been refurbished since she had left.

"Thanks." Nick said proudly, looking down at his feet sheepishly before looking back up at Carla and as he did so, she was starting to think that maybe Michelle was right, maybe Nick did like her… just a little bit.

She took a deep breath and then ran a hand through her wavy hair before saying,

"You're welcome and Thank you for the bottle… it were really nice of ya Nick."

"Hey no problem." Nick nodded, "It's just nice to see you n Michelle in ere again, I remember the old days when the pair of you would spend practically every Friday night in that booth that used to be in that corner over there."

"Oh god…" Carla said, remembering some the nights she and Michelle had had in the bistro in the past. "We used to drink so much, I don't know how we did it, I mean all we had today was the one bottle and I'm already finding it hard to stand upright."

"Really?" Nick smirked, "You?"

"Oi…" Carla grinned, "I'm a changed woman I'll ave you know, I don't drink even a quarter as much as I used to, having a kid… it changes ya, y'know?"

"Yeah…" Nick nodded although he couldn't help but frown a little because in reality he didn't know, He looked down at his feet and bit his lip as Carla just went over what she had said in her head but before she could say something else, Nick said,

"Well, ave a good night won't ya." he had begun walking away from Carla but she very suddenly found herself calling him back.

"Nick…"

"Yeah…" he said, turning around almost instantly and putting all his attention on Carla, even though his restaurant was still heaving and even though Leanne was watching him with very wide and very angry eyes.

"I errr…" Carla said, her throat growing dry as she attempted to bring up what she wanted to say. "Michelle told me that you'd lost a baby."

"Oh…" Nick said, looking like that was the last thing he had expected Carla to say.

She swallowed hard and wished that she hadn't mentioned it now, because for a moment Nick was silent.

"I just wanted to say sorry for what I said about how having kids changes you… it were really insensitive of me." Carla eventually said, hating her self for making everything so awkward all of a sudden, she was sure that this was all Michelle's fault and that normally she wouldn't be paying this much attention to Nick Tilsey.

Carla was sure that the only reason she was stood staring at the man in front of her was because Michelle had said he fancied her and even though she felt like she should probably shut up, she also couldn't help but apologise once again.

"Sorry… Nick." She said shaking her head in a disappointed fashion.

"No… It's fine..." Nick said, knowing that Carla was slightly flustered due to the amount she had drunk and that she hadn't meant to hurt him.

"I really shouldn't have said anything…" Carla began but Nick touched her gently on the arm and said,

"Carla… please don't worry about it…" He gave Carla a very small and very sad smile as she nodded at him and because for some reason she couldn't keep her mouth shut she said,

"I'm sure you're gonna make an amazing Dad one day." She had thought this would have been a nice thing for Nick to hear but when he frowned slightly, she wished that she had once again, said nothing.

"Yeah… I dunno." He began, "I'm starting to think that it might never happen."

"Hey don't say that…" Carla insisted, shaking her head and moving closer to a very down Nick. "Look at me eh? I always said I was never having kids and now I've got the most gorgeous little kid on the planet." Nick smiled at Carla and nodded as Michelle finally made her way out of the toilets.

Carla stepped away from Nick and then smiled at Michelle, whilst Nick on the other hand, looked down at his shoes again.

"Ready to go?" Carla asked Michelle, who was smirking so widely that she looked like the Cheshire cat from Alice In Wonderland.

"Yes I am." Michelle answered, walking towards Carla and then asking her, "Are you?"

"Course." Carla said, turning to Nick and then smiling. "Bye Nick, thanks again for the bottle."

"Yeah thanks Nick." Michelle said sweetly, nodding at him gratefully.

"You're both welcome." Nick said, and as he opened the door for Carla and Michelle to leave the still very busy bistro he said, "Night ladies."

"Night." Carla and Michelle both said in unison and once they were both a safe enough distance from the Bistro, Michelle linked her arm into Carla's and said,

"So what were you n Nick talking about just then?" She was smirking once again, which made Carla sigh and say,

"Oh give it up will ya Michelle… We were just chatting that's all."

"Yeah yeah if you say so." Michelle said nodding.

Carla just chose to ignore this comment from her best friend and also chose to ignore the horrible feeling that she might actually like Nick Tilsley… just a little bit.

* * *

It was four am when Carla returned back to Peter's flat.

She and Michelle had gone into Manchester central and after visiting another wine bar they eventually ended up in a nightclub, which was serving two for one cocktails all night.

Carla hadn't drunk this much in a very very long time, since before finding out she was pregnant with Jada in fact and even though she was emotionally in control, physically she wasn't.

She had let herself in the front door with the keys Peter had given her a few days ago. She had tried extra hard to be quiet and careful but she still ended tripping up the last few steps to the door and after swearing very loudly, the door before her suddenly opened to reveal Peter stood in the doorway.

"You alright?" He asked, holding out his hand to Carla who was sat on a step in the middle of the stairs, he had obviously been woken up by her fall and her curses because his eyes looked sleepy and he was stood in his pyjama trousers only.

"I think so…" Carla nodded, staring up at him, almost in awe.

"So you gonna get up then?" Peter smirked with his hand dangling in mid air.

"Yeah…" Carla nodded again, swallowing before slowly reaching up and taking hold of Peter's hand.

This... was a moment.

A moment that produced a feeling but it was a feeling that they both couldn't have predicted.

The feeling of both their hands entwined with the other's made them both shiver slightly but it was also feeling that they both tried their very best to ignore rather than to deal with the consequences.

Peter gently heaved Carla up the last few steps into his flat and as she came through the door she said,

"Thanks." Peter quietly closed the door behind Carla and as she took off her coat, he took the moment to watch her, captivated.

Even after a night of heavy drinking and even with black eyeliner smudged under her breath-taking eyes, Carla still looked beautiful and as she took off her leather jacket, Peter still couldn't help but stare.

Eventually he got his voice back and managed to get out,

"Good night was it?"

"Yeah… really good…" Carla said, smiling at Peter who walked past her and sat down on the sofa. She wobbled slightly and tried to make her way to sit down next to him without looking too foolish. "I had a great time, thanks for suggesting it."

"I don't know what you mean…" Peter said, smiling sheepishly as Carla reached up to her ears and took out the hooped earrings that she had put in earlier.

"Oh come on Peter… Chelle told me it was your idea." She smiled, reaching forwards and putting her hoops down onto the coffee table in front of her.

Whilst in the wine bar, Michelle had told Carla all about Peter coming into the pub earlier on that day and saying that he thought it would be nice if they both went out and Carla had found it so incredibly sweet that she hadn't been able to think about anything else since.

"Okay…" Peter said, shaking his head because he had told Michelle to act like it was all her idea. "I kept thinking about what you said at the swimming pool and I dunno… it got to me… I know how much you used to love your nights out with Michelle… I just wanted you to go out n ave fun tonight."

"Well I did… I really did. So thank you Peter… it's really sweet that you still care." Carla said, smiling at him tenderly.

"Course I do... Carla how could I not care?" Peter said, his throat growing dry at the thought of Carla thinking that he did anything but care about her these days. "I mean… even after all the time we've had apart… you're still one of the most important people in my life…"

"Back at ya." Carla said but when Peter just gave her a casual chuckle she reached out and touched him on the arm. "No Peter… I mean it… this isn't the alcohol talking either… I... really care about you too."

Peter nodded at Carla slowly and as she let go of his arm he smiled and said nervously,

"Are you seeing anyone? Like in L.A?" Carla watched Peter for a moment and as she swallowed he said, "I know I ave no right to ask you… you can tell me to mind me own business if you want..."

"No…" Carla said, shaking her head slowly and truthfully. "There's no one in L.A... There never has been… not since… you."

There was a silence and it was one where Peter tried his very best not to jump up and punch the air in triumph because as selfish as it sounded, he was quite thrilled to know that Carla hadn't been with anyone since him.

"How about you?" Carla asked, breaking the silence as she thought about that first night in Peter and her's old bed and how she kept thinking about who might have been in there since she left.

"Me?" Peter said, staring at Carla intently who bent forward and took off her high heels.

"Yeah…" Carla said, the alcohol in her system making her feel a lot braver then she normally was around Peter… especially a half naked Peter at that. "Ave you dated anyone since me?

"No." Peter replied instantly, shaking his head adamantly so that Carla knew that there was no way he could have ever replaced her.

Carla nodded at him and in the next silence she couldn't help but be the one to stare this time.

Her eyes travelled over his bare chest and then over to the tattoos on his arm and it was clear to Peter that he was being meticulously watched.

"I erm… I was going to ask you that at the swimming pool earlier… but I bottled it." Peter eventually said, Carla reached over and poked him gently as she replied with,

"So you thought you'd ask now that I'm slightly intoxicated?"

"Pretty much." Peter grinned. Carla laughed at him quietly for a moment and then she yawned infectiously, so infectiously that Peter yawned straight afterwards.

"I'm sorry for waking you up." She said, watching Peter as he yawned twice more.

"Don't worry about it." Peter said, "It was worth it."

Carla smiled down at her lap and as she felt her cheeks go hot she knew that the way she had been feeling about Nick earlier was absolutely nothing compared to the way she felt right now.

Peter yawned for the fourth time, which made Carla eventually say,

"I think it's bedtime." She quickly got up, over estimating how sober she felt, so much so that it actually made her go a bit dizzy.

The room spun but before she fell back down Peter had grabbed hold of her tight.

"Woah…" He said, "Careful love…"

"I'm okay…" Carla giggled and clung onto him whilst she regained her steadiness but then she let herself look right into Peter's eyes.

"You sure?" He breathed, knowing that she was a little drunk and that this situation was becoming totally dangerous for them both.

"Yeah." Carla nodded, Peter had both hands on her waist as he held her upright and when Carla looked down she realised she had a palm rested on his bare chest.

Peter looked down at her hand too and when their gaze met again, their eyes both snapped shut.

Their bodies moved closer.

Their lips almost touched…

Their daughter started crying.

"Mummy!" came Jada's cry. It was unexpected and unnerving and it made Carla and Peter both spring suddenly apart. "Daddy!" Came another cry.

"I'll go…" Peter said, taking a deep breath and letting go of Carla properly. She nodded him in a confused fashion as he left her alone in the living room to ponder what had just happened between them both.

It wasn't long before Jada's cries stopped and before Peter was heard talking softly to her by Carla. She sank back down onto the sofa and leant all the way back with her eyes closed, trying ignore just how close she and Peter had become to a kiss.

She tried to tell herself that it was just the alcohol that had brought on these feelings but deep down Carla knew she desperately wanted that kiss.

Peter returned minutes later, looking slightly sheepish as he walked towards Carla who was sat on the sofa.

"Is she okay?" Carla asked, although she knew Jada must already be back to sleep by now.

"Yes." Peter said with a nod, "I think she maybe had a bad dream or something."

"Oh right…" Carla said, sitting up again.

"I think she could probably do with someone nearby though… just in case." Peter suggested, pointing towards the bedroom with his thumb.

He too had desperately wanted that kiss that almost was, but he too ignored the feeling as best he could and bit his bottom lip anxiously as he stood before Carla.

"Erm… I'd rather stay out ere thanks." She said, "You go."

"Me?" Peter asked, not quite understanding what Carla meant until she explained.

"Yeah… I mean you've slept on this thing for days now and I've woken you up, it's only fair you get the bed… besides. I don't wanna get into bed with Jada half drunk."

"Right." Peter nodded, as Carla stood up, he had been prepared to steady her again but this time she was able to stand up right with out his help.

"I'll just grab some of my stuff." She said, and after slightly stumbling into the bedroom she soon returned clutching a pair of pyjamas and some make up wipes.

"Night then." Peter said with a soft smile, one that made Carla's heart ache because it was so cute.

"Night." Carla replied, sitting back down on the sofa. Peter was in the middle of walking away when she very quietly said, "Peter…." He turned around and lingered by the bedroom door patiently, waiting for Carla to say, "I was erm thinking that maybe tomorrow we should make some plans for Jada's birthday."

"Sure." Peter said, although he was slightly disheartened to hear this because he had hoped Carla was calling him back for something else.

"Good." She nodded, going into the packet of make up wipes.

Another silence came and went.

Carla looked down at her hands whilst Peter looked over at the tree and they both knew that they won't going to get that magic moment that they'd had earlier back.

"I guess I'll see ya in the morning." Peter very quietly said and then, very slowly and reluctantly, he disappeared into the bedroom.


	12. Emotions

Carla awoke on Sunday morning to the feeling of someone gently stroking her on the nose.

Well, it was a gentle stroke at first, then the stroke soon became a poke and soon after, the poke was accompanied by the sound of someone very small saying,

"Mummy… Mummy wake up."

Carla opened her eyes to see Jada's head inches away from hers. Jada was staring into her Mum's face and she smiled excitedly when she saw that her Mum was finally awake.

"Mummy…" Jada beamed, causing Carla to smile lazily and say,

"Good Morning Jada." She leant forward to kiss her almost two-year old when they both heard a voice call from the bedroom,

"Jada…" Peter soon appeared and shook his head at Jada who was already dressed in a black top, and pair of denim shorts with white tights underneath. The white tights were adorned with black stars and she looked as if she was ready to go out only her hair was rather messy.

Carla grinned at the mop of brown hair on her daughter's head and as Peter approached the sofa he tutted at Jada and said,

"You were supposed to wait for me in the bedroom…"

"Mummy." Jada said, pointing at Carla stubbornly rather than listening to her Dad.

"Mummy was sleeping Jada." Peter said looking at Carla apologetically.

"No it's fine." Carla said, pulling Jada up onto the sofa next to her and giving her another kiss.

Even though Carla could have done with a few hours more sleep and even though her head was already pounding due to the alcohol she'd drunk last night, she couldn't help but smile from ear to ear, especially at Peter who eventually sat down on the sofa next to them.

"Mummy wake now." Jada nodded, almost in a smug way as she looked back at her father, Carla grinned and glanced over at the clock, which was on the wall.

"Is that really the time?" She asked, her eyes wide as she looked back at Peter.

It was half past twelve in the afternoon and it was probably the latest Carla had slept in for years.

She was normally always up before at nine am the latest and even the rare times she had left Jada with Susie she always made sure she was up and ready to go and get her as soon as possible because she always missed her so much.

"Yeah…" Peter nodded, as Jada put her thumb in her mouth and leant against Carla lovingly. "I wanted to let you sleep in as late as possible only this little monkey has made that quite difficult." Peter said, reaching forward and poking her in the tummy.

Jada giggled quietly at this poke and kept her eyes on her Dad as Carla yawned and asked,

"Why what's she been doing?"

"Well every time I've had me back turned she's been trying to sneak in ere and give you a little nudge." Peter said and when Carla looked at him she saw that he was dressed too.

"Oh…" She nodded, she then asked, "Ave you two been out already?"

"We popped over to the cafe with Simon, didn't we Jada?" Peter said with a nod, Jada nodded back at her Daddy, took her thumb out of his mouth and then said,

"Jada milkshake Mummy." She had been given a chocolate milkshake on the house from Roy and had thoroughly enjoyed it whilst Peter had waited for their breakfast to be cooked. He had ordered some bacon sandwiches to take back to his flat and had left Carla's wrapped up and in the microwave to keep it warm.

"Thanks Peter." Carla said as she sat down at the dinning table, She had left Jada sat on the sofa with Simba and set of books and as Peter sat down opposite her and said,

"You're welcome… So… how's your head doing?"

"Erm…" Carla said wincing a little, "Not bad considering the last time I'd had that much to drink was before I found out I was pregnant with Jada." Peter nodded at her and pulled out a box of painkillers. "Thanks." Carla laughed silently, she took the packet of painkillers off Peter who went and got the bacon roll out of the microwave for Carla.

Peter even heated it up for her before bringing it over to the table where Carla was sat, he wasn't ashamed to admit that he was really trying hard to do nice things for her and when he sat down he also handed her a cup of coffee, strong and black, just how Carla liked it.

After their almost kiss last night and their mini heart to heart about still caring about each other, Peter felt rather confident that Carla still had some sort of feelings for him and even though he was naive enough to believe that they would be able to act on their feelings, it still delighted him to know that he still had some sort of affect on Carla.

She smiled at him and gave him a coy nod when he handed her the cup of coffee and as they sat at the dining table together, they sat in a very comfortable silence, one that was broken when Peter had eventually said,

"So Jada's birthday… I'm guessing we should just ave the party on the fourteenth." Last night they had said they would discuss her birthday today and whilst Jada was sat looking through a picture book and chatting away to Simba, it seemed like there was no time like the present.

"Well… yeah, that was the day she was born." Carla grinned, Peter nodded at her and couldn't help but chuckle before explaining that the fourteenth was a weekday and he wasn't sure if Carla might have wanted to party to be on the weekend, like the one she had planned in L.A.

Originally Jada's birthday party had been planned for Saturday the eleventh of December and was supposed to be in a hall nearby the apartment where they lived.

"That reminds me…" Carla said swallowing down the painkillers Peter had given her. "I better call Jada's nursery tomorrow and ask em if they can let people know that her party is cancelled… I don't ave any numbers of the people she invited, then I better call the people who own the hall it was in n let them know… oh, and the woman who's making her cake… and the people who I were renting the bouncy castle off…"

"Wow…" Peter said, biting his lip because he hadn't realised so much effort had gone into Jada's birthday party. He had just assumed Carla was going to have a party for Jada wherever she lived and now he had heard all of the plans Carla had made, he felt guilty that Jada was going to miss it all.

"What?" Carla asked.

"I… just hadn't realised how big this party of Jada's was…" Peter replied, Carla nodded slowly at him and was about to speak but got interrupted, "Maybe she should actually go back to L.A for it…" Peter said, laughing nervously as he spoke, as if he was trying to make a little joke out of it all.

"Mmmm…" Carla nodded in a sarcastic fashion, guessing Peter was joking and narrowing her eyes at him before taking another sip of coffee. "Peter don't look like that…" She then added, after seeing the dejected look on his face.

He couldn't help but feel selfish for being the reason Jada was going to be away from all her friends and even though he desperately wanted to be part of her birthday, he couldn't help but wish maybe she was going to be back at home for it after all.

"Peter…" Carla said, putting her cup down onto the table and moving forwards. "It's fine… I'm actually glad to be cancelling Jada's party."

"Oh yeah?" Peter replied, sure that Carla was just humouring him because he had looked sad.

"Yes." Carla nodded adamantly. "I hadn't planned anything for food yet, or party games for the little kids n all that stuff, At least I don't have to do that ere…" Peter didn't say anything this time, he just nodded downtrodden and rolled his eyes at his own self-pity. "Besides…" Carla said softly, "You were right that night I first got back… it's much better for Jada to spend her birthday here… with her family."

"Are you sure?" Peter asked, watching Carla intently to make sure that she was telling the truth.

"Of course I am." Carla said warmly, staring back at Peter in an admiring fashion. "So… what d'ya reckon then, are we aving the party ere?"

"Sure." Peter nodded, gazing around his flat, he looked a little uncertain which made Carla then say,

"Are you… sure? I mean we could ave it at the community centre or…"

"No, No of course I'm sure." Peter insisted, nodding again and this time he really did look sure. "I was just thinking of what I could do with the place y'know… I mean did the party that you had planned for Jada ave a theme?"

"Not really." Carla said, shaking her head, "I mean I were gonna do little themed party bags but I hadn't planned that far ahead… why? Ave you got an idea?"

"Maybe…" Peter smiled mischievously, looking over at Jada who still had Simba in her lap as she read him a book. Carla followed his gaze and then met his, knowing exactly what he was thinking.

* * *

After a lot of Birthday party planning, Peter, Carla and Jada decided to make their way over to Ken's for the Sunday dinner he had planned for them. Carla had had a shower before leaving and whilst she was in it, Peter had attempted to tame the wild bush of hair that was on Jada's head.

She had sat down in front of her Dad patiently and had handed him a hair tie that she had found on the side saying,

"Daddy, frozen plait." It was soon very clear to even two-year-old Jada that Peter had absolutely no idea what he was doing.

He just sat behind her awkwardly and hesitated because he was worried that he might end up slightly hurting Jada as her hair did look like it was in a bit of a tangle, he hesitated for too long because she soon stood up and said,

"Mummy do it?" She said it as if it was a question waited for a response from her Dad.

"That sounds like a good idea." Peter said with a soft chuckle, he had been holding Jada's Little Mermaid hairbrush in his hand along with the hair tie and was just about to put it down when Carla came into the room.

After she had had a shower and after the pain killers she had taken had finally kicked in, She was feeling a lot better. She had got dressed in a red top with a simple pair of jeans and when she walked into the living room to see Peter with a hairbrush in hand she couldn't help but laugh silently to herself.

"D'ya need a hand?" She asked, approaching Peter and Jada who where stood smiling at each other. She couldn't help but smile appreciatively at Peter who just handed her the hairbrush and nodded.

"Thanks." Peter said, feeling slightly foolish.

"You didn't take her out earlier with this bush did ya?" Carla laughed as she sat next to him on the sofa and placed Jada in between her legs.

"No... well not really, it wasn't that bad this morning. It was just went when got back she found this old hat of Simon's and insisted on wearing around the place." Peter explained, Carla nodded at him in amusement and in less than a minute, Jada's hair went from being messy to almost pristine. Carla had brushed through Jada's hair and had given her a rather complicated looking plait.

"There ya go, All done darlin." Carla said, nodding at Jada who turned around and said,

"Ta Mummy." Peter couldn't help but chuckle at the way Jada said Ta and after a quick moment of luscious eye contact with Carla, they all left to make their way over to Ken's.

Jada was walking in between her parents, holding on to both of their hands and beaming up at them. It was clear to both Peter and Carla that she loved having both a Mummy and a Daddy and that walking like this in a three really did make her feel loved. When they got to the curb, without even discussing it they both raised their arms swung Jada high up in the air.

"Weeee!" She giggled adorably and when her little black mini Ugg boots hit the ground, she looked up at her parents and cried,

"Again!" This meant Carla and Peter ended up swinging Jada up and into the air for the rest of the journey over to Ken's.

Every so often, Peter would catch Carla's gaze and when he knocked on his Dad's door, he was sure Carla really was watching him.

He'd felt like this first when she had woken up, like she had had her eyes on him the whole time but he had tried to just shrug it off but now with the way she was looking at him was starting to make him feel giddy.

"Afternoon everyone." Ken said, opening his door to find Peter, Carla and Jada on his doorstep. The sight of all three of them hand in hand was a real sight for sore eyes and he especially looked down at Jada who looked totally at him in between her loving parents.

"Hi Dad." Peter said, smiling in a way that always made Ken's day because he still wasn't used to seeing his son so happy again.

"Hi Ken." Carla smiled, letting go of Jada's hand the same time as Peter did.

"Ackles!" Jada cried, running straight past Ken and going in search for his dog Eccles instead. Peter laughed along with his Dad at the situation but Carla frowned and very quickly stepped right into the house saying,

"Jada Elise… get back ere n say hello to your Granddad now!"

"Carla it's fine…" Ken began but she had already walked straight into the back room and in the next second she had returned with Jada, pulling her along gently by her hand and as she got closer, Peter and Ken could see that Jada her bottom lip sticking out in shame.

"Go on baby, you don't run past Granddad like that and not say Hello… that's rude." Carla said, her tone a lot softer than it had initially been, she had bent down to speak to Jada and whilst she was practically at Peter's feet, he couldn't help but smirk down at her.

He ignored the urge to say something rather flithy to Carla but it was clear by the look on his face what he was thinking and Carla had to turn her attention back to her daughter.

"Hello Granddad." Jada said, looking up at Ken with a cheeky smile instead of the frown she had just had because her Mum had pulled her back over.

"Hello Jada." Ken said with a warm nod, he closed the door behind him as Carla pointed down the hallway and said,

"You can go see the dog now." Jada sped towards the back room and Ken followed, leaving Carla and Peter to take of their coats and hang them up.

Peter had his lips pursed together slightly which Carla thought was because he wanted to say something, so after she had stood up straight again and after they had both hung up their coats on the end of banister she said,

"What?"

"What?" Peter replied, smirking at her again, dressed in his casual white shirt and jeans.

"Do ya ave something to say Peter?" Carla asked, but Peter just shook his head and started walking ahead. "You sure? Cause I reckon you reckon I was too harsh with Jada just then?" Carla asked, making Peter stop and turn around.

"No... I don't reckon that at all." He said, although he had to admit he had been a little surprised Carla had made Jada come back and say a proper hello.

"Why don't I believe you?" Carla asked, walking towards Peter with her head on one side. Peter just shrugged and continued on into the living room to find, Jada sat in front of Eccles, she was smiling widely at the dog in front of her as Peter sat down next to his Dad and said,

"How've you been Dad?"

"Fine thank you Peter." Ken said, grinning at Jada who was now singing something to Eccles who was just lying lazily on the floor in front of her. "How are you two?"

"Good." Peter nodded, Carla nodded too and then said,

"Where is everyone?"

"Tracy and Amy should be back from their shopping trip soon, where is Simon"? Ken replied.

"He should be ere any minute Dad, he went over to see Leanne this morning." Peter explained, sitting next to Carla who called Jada over to take off her coat.

Simon soon arrived and when he came in and said Hi, Jada stood up very quickly.

"Hello Simon!" She cried as if she was making a point. She waved at him with a smile before turning to her Mum and giving her a little smug look before focusing her attention back to Eccles.

"Did she just sass me?" Carla asked as Simon took his coat off and went to say hello to Ken.

"I think she did." Peter chuckled, "I wonder who she gets that from eh?"

"You." Carla said bluntly, reaching over and taking crisp from a bowl Ken had left on the table as nibbles.

"Oh really?" Peter said over dramatically, "and I suppose none of her cheeky little ways ave anything to do with you?"

"Nope." Carla said as she put the crisp into her mouth.

"Okay..." Peter nodded in a humouring fashion as Simon sat at the table with them and soon enough, Ken went into the kitchen to get started on his grand dinner.

After fifteen minutes or so, Peter had gotten up from the table and walked into the kitchen to offer some help to his Dad, leaving Carla and Simon sat deep in a conversation about something they had watched on television during the previous week.

"What can I do to help Dad?"

"Nothing Peter, it's all done." Ken said with a smile, he watched Peter nod and lean against the wall and when he saw that Carla was far enough out of ear shot he asked, "So… how ave things been since the last time I saw you?"

"What you mean yesterday?" Peter asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well yes, I'm sure that a day in you and Carla's world must feel like a lot longer." Ken said, knowing that Peter and Carla's current living situation must be slightly weird for them.

"Erm… well it's still going really well. We were planning Jada's birthday party this morning actually." Peter said excitedly, he was smiling again and it still made Ken truly happy to see his son smile like this.

"That must have been a lot of fun." Ken said to which Peter nodded and said,

"Yeah it was, we've actually got this little theme planned for it actually, I'm not gonna spill the beans but Jada's gonna love it."

"Oh I was gonna ask you…" Ken began, "I saw this really beautiful Doll's House which I thought would be perfect for Jada, I mean it might be slightly too young for her right now but it's one of those presents she can keep forever I thought… it has three floors and lots of rooms and I thought she'd really enjoy filling them up and having little people to play with, What d'ya think?" The smile of Peter's face faded at the mention of Ken's gift and as his Dad stood before him, all Peter could manage to say was,

"Erm…"

"Peter…" Ken said concerned, "I just wanted to know if you knew if she had one already or not."

"I ave no idea Dad." Peter said shaking his head because he still wasn't up to speed with all of Jada's toys. "And… to be honest I don't really think it's an appropriate present, not because she won't like it though, I mean Jada would adore it, its just… how's Carla gonna take something like that… home." His voice broke when he said the word _home_ and suddenly, Ken realised why his son had become so upset.

"Oh Peter." Ken said, sighing and putting an arm around his son who couldn't believe he was suddenly crying like this, he normally avoided calling L.A Carla and Jada's home for this very reason.

"I'm fine." He quickly said, sniffing and wiping his eyes, he took a quick glance into the back room where Carla and Simon were still sat at the table and then looked back at his Dad who shook his head slowly and said,

"But you're not are you Peter?"

"I will be…" Peter sighed, "I don't even know why this is even happening." He said, referring to the tears, which were still running down his cheeks. "It's not exactly as if I don't know that they're both going back to L.A soon is it?"

"Yes but you're still allowed to get upset about it Peter." Ken said, shaking his head apologetically at Peter who just sniffed once more and said,

"No… I'm not... Dad this is all my fault anyways, I just have to make the best of the time that I've got now." With that Peter left the kitchen and returned to the dinning table.

It only took Carla two seconds to realise something was wrong with Peter and as Simon got up to sit with Jada and Eccles she leant forward and said,

"Peter, what happened?"

"Nothing." he said, smiling bravely but all the while knowing that Carla could still read him like a book and vice versa when he thought about it.

"Peter, you've been crying." Carla said delicately, leaning forwards as he spoke so that he would still be able to hear her. "What is it?"

"Carla…" Peter began, shaking his head slowly and then smiling sadly. "I'm fine okay, things just got a little emotional in the kitchen with me Dad that's all."

"Emotional?" Carla repeated, she looked over at Jada and Simon who were sat only feet way from them and then, with a gentle touch on Peter's right knee, one which sent a shockwave of even more emotions right through his system she said, "Shall… we talk about this later?"

"I… dunno." Peter almost whispered back, nervously because not only did Carla have a hand on his knee but her face was now, once again, inches from his.

"You dunno?" Carla replied, slightly amused.

"Yeah… I mean… it's that thing we said we wouldn't talk about that's got me like this." Peter said, remembering how one night on his sofa he had said to Carla that he didn't think talking about her and Jada leaving was a good idea.

"Actually I'll think you'll find you were the one who said we wouldn't talk about it..." Carla said softly, "But… if you really don't want to… I get it… just know I'm ere, Okay?"

"Okay." Peter nodded, he smiled at Carla thankfully as the front door opened. They both looked away from each other, not knowing that Simon had been watching their entire exchange with beady eyes. Tracy and Amy were back from their shopping trip, they walked into the back room with a lot of shopping bags and it was then that Peter was sure that Carla would move away from him, but she didn't.

She stayed put and she kept that hand on his knee until dinner was ready.

* * *

Ken's dinner, which consisted of a classic Sunday roast and a hot Apple Pie for pudding went down very well. The conversation at the table flowed perfectly and everyone laughed when Carla told the story about Peter attempting to put Jada's hair into a plait.

Everyone sat at the dining table was stuffed and as Peter started collecting up everyone's plates, he beckoned Simon to help him.

Normally, Simon would have responded to this request with a surly comment or with attitude but these days his bad temper had practically vanished and he got up to help his Dad in the kitchen straight away without any fuss.

"I'll wash, you dry yeah?" Peter said, running the tap and placing all of the dirty dishes into the sink.

"Okay." Simon said, reaching over to the kitchen cabinet and picking up a tea towel that Ken had left on the side. He waited about three minutes before smirking and saying, "So what's happening with you n Carla, Dad?"

"Eh?" Peter responded, not looking at his son at first because Simon could also read him very well but instead looking down at the plate he was currently washing.

"Don't act all innocent Dad…" Simon said smugly, "I been watching you both… something's going on that's for sure."

"Simon John Barlow, there is nothing going on with me and Carla." Peter replied handing him the plate he had just washed up.

"Dad, please… I'm not a kid anymore, I'm nearly thirteen like, I can tell when two people deffo need to get their acts together n admit that they are still in love." Simon said, staring at his Dad rather than starting to dry the plate he had been given.

"Simon…" Peter began with a sigh, but Simon shook his head and said,

"Not denying it then are ya?"

"Denying what?" Peter asked.

"That you still love Carla." Simon said, knowing this topic of conversation must be really painful for his Dad but also knowing that time was moving quickly and if he didn't do something soon, he and his Dad would be left without Carla and Jada again.

"Si… course I still love Carla." Peter said, taking a quick glance into the back room where Carla was on her knees in front of Jada wiping her down with some wipes because Jada had thoroughly enjoyed her Sunday roast and Apple Pie and a lot of it down her front.

"And she still loves you." Simon said, sure of it, sure that the way she kept looking at his Dad during the meal was a look of love.

"Si… even if she did…" Peter began, trying too hard not to think of the possibility of Carla still being as in love as he was.

He had guessed that she had feelings, she had made it clear in those personal little moments she had spent with him but love?

Peter didn't know, Peter didn't actually want to know.

"Even if she did Si… it doesn't matter."

"Dad, course it does." Simon said, shaking his head in anguish, not understanding why his Dad would think something so important as love wouldn't matter.

"No it doesn't, Si… listen to me, there is no way Carla and Jada aren't going back to L.A." Peter said but then Simon interrupted him,

"But…"

"No buts Si… I'm sure of it, they have a life there, friends… Jada's got a little nursery, Carla has an important job and apartment minutes from the sea." Peter began shaking his head, "Nothings going to change that son... I'm sorry... but you gotta try n remember that."

Simon nodded dejectedly although he wasn't entirely sure that his Dad even believed the words that he was saying. He started drying at the plate he had in hand but then he couldn't help but smirk and say,

"So you're telling me that you two avent snogged or out?"

"Snogged? Come on Simon..." Peter said but he chuckled as he said it and stopped washing up because of the look on his Twelve and a half year old's face.

"What?" Simon cried, "It's not as if it's an unlikely situation is it? Yeah I know, she's leaving n stuff, we've been through all that stuff it's just I still reckon something like that has happened..." Simon said as his cousin Amy walked into the kitchen with some cups that had been left behind, "Init Amy…"

"What?" Amy asked, amused because Peter had actually rolled his eyes and turned around to face his niece.

"Me Dad reckons he and Carla avent snogged yet." Simon said with a grin, Amy gave her Uncle an unconvinced look and said,

"Really? As if that could even be possible, You two are always flirting."

"See." Simon sniggered whilst his Dad tutted and Amy said,

"Me Mum's not going to believe it."

"Wait, do you lot spend a lot of time discussing me n Carla?" Peter said to which Amy and Simon both nodded in unison.

"Pretty much." Amy said, she raised an eyebrow at her Uncle and then said, "So… if I go out there and ask Carla if you two ave kissed… she'll say no."

"Yes." Peter nodded, not believing he was having this conversation with a pair of pre teens.

"Okay then… let's see shall we?" Amy said with a very mischievous grin and with that she started making her way out of the kitchen.

"Oi, Amy Katherine Barlow don't you dare." Peter hissed but Amy was already back in the back room and at the dining table again, she smirked at her Uncle before turning her attention to a conversation that Carla was now having with Ken, she was obviously waiting for the opportune moment to strike and kept quiet with her eyes on Peter.

"Dad, you're so funny." Simon said, shaking his head with a laugh. Peter couldn't help but smile at the boldness of his son and niece and as he turned back to the sink, Simon then added, "Just before Amy does ask and find out the truth, is there anything you wanna confess?"

"No." Peter grinned, flicking some of the water from the tap in Simon's direction. Simon laughed loudly as he avoided it and as he was handed another plate, he saw that his Dad's face had become sombre again. "Seriously though Si, as nice as it would be while it lasted… there is no way I'm going to let anything like that happen with Carla… we ave to stay friends."

"Why?" Simon asked, watching his Dad closely and starting to wish he hadn't brought up the subject at all.

"Because… it's going to be unimaginably painful to lose Jada again and Carla the way things are now... I don't think I've got it in me to lose her as me wife as well." Peter said and with that, he turned back to the sick and started washing up again.

Simon bit his lip and nodded, not wanting to push the subject anymore because he could see how much it was affecting his Dad, he also decided that he didn't want to talk about Carla anymore because the idea of her and Jada leaving… really scared him too.

More than he cared to admit.

* * *

"Can I ask ya a question?" Carla asked Peter, walking into the Rover's Return with Peter and Tracy, they had left Jada, Simon, Amy and Ken next door and had come into the Rover's for a quiet Sunday night drink.

Tracy had suggested it at first, Carla had said yes and initially, Peter had said he wasn't going to come but when Carla's eyes had widened at the thought of so suddenly being alone with Tracy, he caved and said that he would join them.

"Sure." Peter said intrigued as he, Carla and Tracy approached the bar. Tracy soon saw Beth sat in the corner and was ushered over, leaving Peter and Carla alone and also leaving Peter wondering if this part of some kind of plan on Simon and Amy's part because he had seen them talking about something before they left.

"Why did Amy ask if and I quote, _If me and her Uncle Peter had snogged_?" Carla asked, grinning as Peter casually leant on the bar using his arms.

"Erm…" Peter laughed unable to comment at first., Carla just looked confused and shook her head slightly as Peter couldn't help but laugh again.

"Peter? Did I miss something or?" Carla asked, Peter shook his head at her and said,

"Si n Amy asked me the same question in the kitchen and when I said that we hadn't kissed, apparently I wasn't convincing enough, which is why she went and asked you I'm guessing."

"Oh right." Carla said, still looking slightly confused. "Why are we the subject of Amy and Simon's conversations?"

"No idea." Peter laughed.

"Ave they nothing else to discuss?" Carla asked.

"Obviously not... I don't know who they think they are to be honest… questioning me about something like that… What did Amy say when you said no?"

"Who said I said no?" Carla grinned mysteriously, nudging Peter in the side without even thinking about it twice.

She was aware that they had taken their flirtatious banter up a notch since yesterday and even though a part of her was telling her no to go there, she didn't think it would do too much harm to keep having these light hearted moments together.

"Well… I just assumed you would ave..." Peter chuckled, "Seeing as we aven't actually kissed yet n all."

"Yet?" Carla asked with an eyebrow raised, She was grinning at Peter in a way that made him see she wasn't totally outraged by the idea of them kissing.

He just kept quiet and left Carla wondering if he had meant to say yet or not, it sounded like he could have just let it slip, but this was Peter and he had a past of being rather mischievous like that.

"Well hello there Carla and Peter… what can I get ya both?" Michelle asked with a smile, making them both avert their gaze from each other to her.

"Hi Michelle… I think we'll ave an Orange juice and a red wine?" Peter said, checking and looking at Carla who he knew wasn't much of a drinker these days.

"Yeah go on then, just a small one Chelle." Carla said with a nod, Michelle smiled again at them both and after she returned with their drinks Peter asked,

"So did you ave fun last night Michelle? I know Carla did... heard all about it."

"Yeah I really did, it were great." Michelle said, smiling at Peter appreciatively because it had been his idea for them to go out. "I paid for it this morning though."

"Yeah me too." Carla said with a nod, "Although Peter ere was a real gentleman and had breakfast waiting for me when I woke up."

"Awww did ya?" Michelle said, looking at Peter as if she was truly moved by the gesture.

"Yeah." Peter said sheepishly, Carla nudged him in the side again and smiled before picking up her glass of wine and taking a sip.

Michelle stood nearby Carla and Peter whenever she could and enjoyed watching them both interact with each other when they thought that no one was watching.

They spent most of their time chatting companionably but there were a lot of lingering looks and flirtatious moments that Michelle just couldn't help but smirk at.

It wasn't just those moment's that had Michelle taken with the pair thought, it was the ones where they would seem to know exactly what the other was thinking and there was even a few moments where they finished each others sentences.

After half an hour or so and after another drink refill spotted Roy Cropper come into the pub with Tyrone and Fizz.

"Peter I'm just gonna go n say Hi to Roy..." Carla said, leaving Peter stood at the bar with their drinks and making her way over to her dear friend with a huge smile.

"Oh thanks very much." Peter nodded with a grin, looking over at Tracy who was still sat in a very deep conversation with Beth, looking like she would most definitely not be coming back to see her brother soon. Michelle came back over to Peter after a few minutes and smiled as he sighed lightly and said, "Look at me eh? I'm getting ditched left right n centre over ere... Tracy was the one who suggested this drink and yet I aven't spoke to her since she got in ere."

"Yeah well… I'm sure Carla'll be back." Michelle replied, as she handed a customer the pint he had ordered.

"What's… that supposed to mean?" Peter asked, unable to keep a smile from creeping onto his face, because Michelle was Carla's best friend and if anyone knew that Carla might still have feeling for Peter, it would be Michelle. She just grinned at Peter and took some of the empty glasses, which were nearby and said,

"Nothing... nothing at all." She gave Peter a wink before leaving him alone once again and whilst alone, Peter couldn't help but think about him and Carla.

Yes, _Him and Carla._

Even though he had insisted to Simon and Amy that he wasn't going to let anything happen with Carla and even though he knew he shouldn't be so affected by a spot flirting, he still couldn't have been more pleased with her reaction to saying "yet" when referring to the idea of them kissing.

He had actually, said it by accident but Carla's half pleased half amused reaction had pleased him to no end.

"Alright Peter." Came a voice and Peter turned to find that Leanne was stood next to him.

"Hiya Lea, you okay?" He asked as she leant on the bar and as Michelle came over.

"Yeah, I'm good." She said with half a smile, she ordered two drinks from Michelle for her and her sister Eva and as Michelle nodded, Peter then asked,

"Oh, did I tell you I got a call from Si's school?"

"No." Leanne said, looking worried. "What's happened now?"

"No it's nothing bad." Peter said reassuringly, "His tutor just phoned to say she's seen a real positive change in him over the past week… I thought you'd want to know that's all."

"Oh right…" Leanne said with a nod. "Well that's good…"

"It is int it." Peter said, knowing that his son's behaviour had been so bad this year and that the change in it was due to a certain two people who had made their return to the street.

"He mentioned how fun it is at yours at the moment..." Leanne said because this morning all Simon could talk about was how it felt to be living with his little Sister and even Carla, he'd even said to Leanne how much he had grown to like her but there was no way Leanne was going to admit that to Peter.

"Ahhh that's nice, he seems really happy I ave to say and he loves spending time with Jada... they're a right little pair. Thick as thieves in fact, Caught em yesterday making their way through a packet of Oreos in the living room, it was hilarious." Peter said smiling proudly because he felt as if his kids were probably the only good thing he had done in his entire life.

Simon was behaving so much better and Jada was a little joy and he knew that he had to do all he could to hold onto how good he felt at the moment, even after the little blip he'd had at Ken's when he thought about Carla leaving, overall he felt pretty pleased with life.

"Yeah I know, he really loves her, it's so sweet." Leanne said, smiling genuinely at first because Simon truly was fond of Jada, but then she said, "Si tells me Carla's paying for him to go to L.A next year..."

"Oh…" Peter said with his orange juice in hand. "Erm… Yeah she said if he's good at school she'll invite him over for his holidays…" He watched Leanne who had an eyebrow raised and then said, "What?"

"Well it would ave been nice to ave been told by you..." She said rolling her eyes.

"Oh come on Lea." Peter sighed, "It won't be until February, He'd have an amazing time, it's such a good opportunity, you wouldn't actually stop him from going would ya?"

"No but still, I'm still his Mum Peter, It'd be nice to be asked about these things that's all I'm saying." Leanne said as Michelle brought over the drinks she had ordered. She paid for them as Peter said,

"Okay… yes I get that but you ave to understand that what ever Carla has said to him, is working… as I said his teacher really praised him the other day and I've seen such a positive change."

"Yeah I realise that Peter, but is bribing him really the right way to go about it?" Leanne asked, whilst Michelle went to get her change, Peter shook his head adamantly and said,

"Leanne it's not a bribe, it's more of an incentive..." Leanne rolled her eyes once again and shook her head at Peter before saying,

"Y'know what, forget it. I don't even know why I'm bothering ere… you're always gonna stick up for Carla aren't ya? Honestly between you and Nick, I'm beginning to wonder what she has over the men around ere."

At first Peter didn't listen to what Leanne had said properly, he had been taking a sip of juice at the time but then he heard it again, then he heard it properly.

"Nick?" He said, furrowing his eyebrows together, hoping he'd missed heard the name.

"Yeah…" Leanne said, wondering if she should continue but the grudge she still held on Carla took over and it had her spitefully saying, "Last night she was in the Bistro and they were practically all over each other, Nick paid like no attention to any of the other customers and even after she left he couldn't stop talking about her."

Peter's first response was just a shake of his head and a little laugh which was on the dry side when it came out but then, when Leanne didn't continue, he couldn't help but look at her properly and swallow hard.

"Really?" He asked, feeling his whole body go numb at the thought of Carla flirting with someone else other than him, especially if this man was Nick.

He was sure that Leanne had to have got it wrong.

Carla would never go near Nick right? There was way too much history there, they hated each other at one point.

Peter, being no Angel himself also thought Nick wasn't much of a good person either, he'd had affairs and done lots of awful things.

Surely Carla knew better to get herself in a situation where she ended up with someone like Nick... right?

"Yes." Leanne said, although she could tell that Peter was deeply affected by what she had just said, "I mean... they kept talking and flirting, every drink she had he gave her on the house and when she left they had this big goodbye chat... He was acting like someone with a school boy crush."

Peter just nodded stiffly as Michelle came back with Leanne's change, she handed it over to them, able to sense the immediate atmosphere between Leanne and Peter.

"Cheers." Leanne said, looking at Peter awkwardly before going to join her sister. Michelle looked at Peter who was staring down at the bar beneath him like he'd just heard the worst news ever, which right now, he felt like he actually had.

"You alright Peter?" Michelle asked a little concerned.

"Yes." Peter croaked, his throat had actually gone dry as he tried to get the oh so sudden image of Carla and Nick right out of his mind.

"You sure?" Michelle asked, "What was Leanne saying to ya?" Peter stopped for a moment, he had thought about asking Michelle if what Leanne had said was actually true, that if Carla and Nick had been flirting, after all, She had been there, she'd know right?

Peter very soon thought against this idea because as horrible as it felt, he knew he had no idea to be asking Michelle such questions, Carla had every right to flirt with who she wanted.

"Yeah... I'm alright." Peter lied again.

He was not alright and as he turned to look at Carla who was stood next to Roy with a smile, he knew that was no way on this earth that he would be able to cope, if Carla and Nick Tilsley went anywhere near each other.


	13. Rights & Wrongs

Peter tried to ignore what he had been told by Leanne.

He tried very very hard and at first, his efforts were successful.

At first he told himself that she was just trying to cause trouble between him and Carla. He told himself that she was maybe jealous that Simon was so fond of living with him at the moment and maybe even jealous that he had been given another chance to prove himself.

So first, Peter was able to act completely normal. He and Carla had gone next door to Ken's to get Jada and Simon at about nine pm and it was then that he had decided he wasn't going to let what he had been told by Leanne affect him.

Jada was fast asleep on the sofa when they got back to his Dad's and as Carla bent down and gently picked her up, Peter knew he'd be stupid to even mention the preposterous idea of her and Nick.

He knew that this time he had with Jada and Carla was extremely precious and that any kind of interference into Carla's private life from him would mess everything right up.

They walked peacefully home from Number one with Simon in tow, Carla carrying Jada and as they entered the building, Peter felt as if in total control of the situation.

Yes he was jealous of Nick, even if what Leanne had told him wasn't exactly true, anytime his spent with Carla alone made Peter envy him because as much as he loved spending time with his children and Carla as a family, he craved those moments alone with Carla.

Those moments where they would just chat about their days and enjoy each other's company.

As Sunday night went on, Peter told himself that Leanne was probably stretching the truth and that Nick and Carla were probably just chatting like a normal pair of people, just like a restaurant owner and a customer normally would.

He was feeling pretty good about things and confident that Leanne was just stirring the pot but then, the very next morning, he saw them together.

Carla and Nick.

Nick and Carla.

She had literally just left his place at eight am when he saw it. She left very quickly, saying that she was meeting Michelle for breakfast before spending the day at the factory and she left so quickly that she left her phone behind.

"Uh oh… Look Jada." Peter said, picking up Carla's phone after spotting it on the coffee table by the sofa. He walked over to his daughter who was sat at the breakfast table finishing up some toast and said, "Mummy left her phone, she'll need this..."

"Uh oh…" Jada said, shaking her head precociously as she pointed up at the phone that she always played games and took selfies on. "Mummy gone... Jada have it?" She asked with a cute nod of her head as she held out her hand.

She actually looked as if she expected Peter to just hand her Mum's phone over which made him laugh and say,

"Oh no ya don't." He grinned as he poked Jada lightly on the nose, she giggled as he turned to Simon and said, "I'll quickly go and see if I can give it to her."

"Okay." Simon nodded, he was dressed in his school uniform and finishing a bowl of cereal as his Dad very quickly left their flat to see if he could catch Carla.

It was then that Peter saw it.

Carla… with Nick.

Going into the cafe, together.

Well... it was then that Peter thought he saw them going into the cafe together but that's not what he actually saw.

They weren't actually together, they were just in the same place at the same time.

It was a totally innocent situation that Peter took as something else.

He felt sick as he watched Carla laugh out loud at something Nick said and she looked so happy as they both walked into the cafe that Peter just turned on his heel and walked right back inside of his building.

He didn't call after her so she could get her phone, instead he just trudged back upstairs and into his flat miserably.

Simon looked up and saw that his Dad still had Carla's phone in hand, he frowned as his Dad put it down and asked,

"Dad… why didn't you give Carla her phone?"

"She's already gone..." Peter very quickly lied and he went and sat back down next to Jada at the table, she smiled at her Daddy lovingly and reached over to him so she could climb on his lap for a cuddle.

Peter pulled Jada close to him as he swallowed hard and tried not to let Simon see how affected he was by what he had just seen.

Simon nodded because his Dad's answer was sufficient enough and as he got up from the table with his cereal bowl, Peter kissed Jada on the head gently, trying to ignore the fact that what Leanne had told him last night, could actually be true after all.

Carla had said she was meeting Michelle for breakfast at the café, only she walked in there with Nick Tilsley.

Peter suddenly felt like such an idiot.

He felt like a right fool because of all those looks... all those touches, they had genuinely started to make Peter feel as if maybe he and Carla still had something very special after all.

Heck, they were even joking around about kissing yesterday and now he felt utterly sick.

He felt like maybe he mistook Carla's recent and tactile nature for something else. He felt like each time she touched him or leant against him whilst on the sofa, actually meant nothing and that maybe she was just like that with everyone these days.

Deep down and if he had really took the time to think about this properly, Peter knew he was being rather ridiculous.

He knew that Carla wasn't like that with everyone and that she genuinely did care for him in a special way but since the man he had just seen her with was Nick Tilsley, aka his arch nemesis, he let himself get mad, he let him self wallow in self pity and he let what Leanne had told last night put him into a very very bad mood.

Of course, what Peter didn't know was that Carla really had gone to meet Michelle for breakfast.

What Peter didn't know was that Nick just happened to have been on his own way to the café to meet his Mum at the same time by coincidence. He had been telling Carla about something ridiculous his Mum had said to him last night and that was the thing that made her laugh before they walked inside the café.

What Peter also didn't know was that the pair of them parted ways as soon as they went into the café and that when Carla sat down with Michelle the first thing they began talking about... was him.

In fact most of the conversation that took place during their breakfast was about Peter and whilst he sat at home, thinking that Carla was in the café flirting with Nick, She was actually talking non-stop about him and just how much she felt like he'd changed.

"I mean he's still just as sarcastic as he were before n just as stubborn but I feel like he's really learnt his lesson y'know… I feel like me leaving ere has made everything come together, It's like he knows how important his family is and he's finally putting them first... us first. He's been off the booze since I left which is a pretty good accomplishment right?" Carla said, sipping a mug of coffee, which she and Michelle had ordered from Roy earlier on.

Their breakfast plates were now empty at this point, only left with a few crumbs of toast left on it and as time crept closer to nine am, Carla knew it was almost time for her to head to the factory as she had said she'd sit in a meeting at half past.

"He's such a good Dad Michelle, the way he is with Simon and Jada makes me see he is totally serious about staying on the wagon this time…" Michelle nodded slowly in agreement to Carla's statement about but didn't say anything at first because what she wanted to say she already knew the answer to.

"Do ya think I'm being niave?" Carla asked, watching Michelle fixedly when she didn't answer her the first time.

"No course not babe." Michelle said with a smile.

"Oh yes ya do…" Carla groaned, "I can tell by the look on ya face."

"No I don't." Michelle insisted and then she paused, "I'm just… well hearing you talking like this… about Peter well it makes me feel… I dunno… maybe you should think of sticking around a bit longer."

"Don't Chelle…" Carla began, shaking her head because she couldn't believe that she and Michelle were on this subject again.

It pained her to think about leaving. It actually made her feel short of breath when she thought about stepping on that plane in a few weeks but the only thing worse than thinking about leaving was thinking about staying.

Thinking about staying, the rare few times that she had done it, had left Carla in a state of total panic.

The thought of the future she and Jada could maybe have here in Weatherfield with Simon and Peter was one that sometimes filled her with excitement and bliss but it mostly filled her with dread.

It filled her with dread because she knew how perfect it could be, she knew that if they worked hard at it, life in Weatherfield could one day absolutely perfect but she also knew that all it would take is one blip for things to go horribly horribly wrong.

Carla didn't think she had in it her for things to go wrong again and she also didn't want to put Jada through such heartbreak either.

"What?" Michelle sighed as Carla shook her head, "Come on Car… I mean I'm not asking you to stay forever, all I'm saying is that if you really do feel like Peter's changed n stuff… why not stick around a bit more and see how things go… y'know… maybe you could give Peter another chance."

Michelle knew it was a long shot and she knew that Carla's response would be a no, but she still felt like she should speak her mind because if she couldn't be honest with her best friend who could she be honest with?

"I already know how things will go Chelle." Carla said sternly, "It will be fine at first and then something will happen, something will go wrong. It always does with me n Peter don't it? It's not just us anymore Michelle, we both ave Jada to think about… and Simon."

"But…"

"No buts Michelle..." Carla said, picking up her coffee and downing the rest of it. "Right…" She sighed heavily, "I ave to head to the factory, I promised Sally I'd help out with this difficult client this morning. I'll maybe see ya later yeah?"

"Yeah." Michelle nodded dejectedly.

"Oh don't gimme that look." Carla said as she leant over the table and hugged Michelle. "Bye."

"Bye." Michelle said as Carla let go of her.

She had only made it half way to the factory when she had realised she left her phone back at the flat with Peter and Jada. She very quickly decided that she should go back and get it.

She wanted to get her phone because she needed to call her boss back in L.A at some point today and she also wanted it so she could call and speak to Jada later on as well because she always missed her when she was at work and whilst she had the chance to talk to her throughout the day she wanted to take it.

As Carla opened the door and walked back into the place that she and Jada had been staying for the past week, She found a sight that would make absolutely anyone smile, even the most cold hearted of people would have cracked a smile at what Carla saw.

Jada was wearing a brand new Frozen dress from the movie which actually lit up and was holding to both of her Dad's hands tightly. He was still wearing his pyjamas but he had on a wooly hat which Carla had assumed Jada had made him wear.

Jada was jumping up and down excitedly along to some music that was playing loudly on the television and Peter was dancing along with her, they both had humongous smiles on their faces as they danced and they were having such a good time that they didn't even see Carla stood in the doorway.

The sight of Jada and her Daddy having so much fun, actually brought a tear to Carla's eye, she blinked it away as fast as she could and smiled warmly when Peter and Jada had both realised that she was there.

"Hi…" She said softly, smiling at Peter's woolly hat before looking down at Jada.

"Hello Mummy!" Jada said with wave, "I Elsa Mummy." She looked down at her blue princess dress which had snowflakes adorned on it and then smiled back up at her Mum proudly.

"You look beautiful Queen Elsa…" Carla said, closing the door behind her and walking over to the coffee table where she had thought she'd left her phone. Only it wasn't there because Peter had put it down on the kitchen table when he had returned earlier and hadn't moved it since.

"It's on the kitchen table…" Peter said, knowing exactly what Carla was looking for. He pointed over at it as Jada let go of his hands and ran wildly towards her Mum.

"Oh right..." Carla said as she felt Jada's little arms wrap around her legs in a hug. She chuckled down at them and rubbed the soft hair on Jada's head before saying, "Mummy's only come back to get her phone Jada… I ave to go back to work in a minute."

"No Mummy stay…" Jada moaned, clinging onto Carla's legs as she tried to make her way into the kitchen. "Dance with Daddy…" Jada said causing Carla and Peter to both look at each other.

There was a very quick moment of amused eye contact before it was interrupted by Peter's bad mood.

He was still a little peeved about seeing Carla walking into the café with Nick so he looked away first and over at the TV instead.

He hated being like this... feeling like this.

He knew he had no right, he knew Carla was only staying over at his for Jada's sake, he wasn't naive but he still couldn't stop the jealously from flowing through his veins and he couldn't let himself look at Carla for too long without wanting to shout out loud and ask her why she wanted to spend time with Nick Tilsley of all people.

Carla could tell that Peter looking away so quickly like that was definitely something he did on purpose, although she wasn't quite sure why as she reached over to the table to get her phone.

"As tempting as that sounds…" She said, hoping to catch Peter's attention again and regain some of the flirtatious banter they'd had last night but as he continued to stare at the TV she swallowed nervously and said, "I ave to go back to work."

"No Mummy." Jada said as sternly as an almost two year old could, shaking her head as her Mum took her by the hand and led her over to her Dad.

"Peter…" Carla said softly, holding Jada's hand up in the air in front of him so that he could take hold of it. "I ave to go." Peter took a sharp breath before turning to Carla and when he looked at her he couldn't help but smile, even though he was still reluctantly annoyed.

"Dance with Daddy!" Jada said crossly, her eyebrows furrowing together with her little lips falling into a pout, she also had a very tight grip on her Mum's coat as she spoke and it was clear that she wasn't letting go anytime soon. "Dance Mummy." Peter and Carla both laughed down at Jada who was trying her very best to look furious and then they caught each other's gaze once again.

Before Peter could look away Carla worked very quickly and said,

"I'll dance with Daddy later baby, okay? Now go on, let Mummy go to work..." Jada looked as if she believed her Mum and eventually let go of her coat. Peter bent down and picked Jada up off the ground as Carla slipped her phone into her pocket and said, "Ohh.. Maybe I shouldn't ave said that, She's not going to forget it… she's gonna hold me to that dance."

"Yeah she's not the only one…" Peter smirked suddenly forgetting all about his surly mood as he stood before Carla with Jada in his arms.

"Nice hat..." Carla grinned, trying her hardest not to blush from Peter's comment about holding her to that dance.

"Thanks..." Peter said as she waved goodbye to Jada, he would normally feel slightly foolish because he was sure the hat must look rather comical but the way Carla was looking at him made him feel about ten feet tall.

"Bye bye Mummy." Jada said waving and resting her head on Peter's shoulder.

"Ave a good day." Peter said, as Carla then waved at him and then opened the front door. He watched her walk back out of his flat and as he put Jada down on the carpet below, he decided he mustn't let irrational thoughts of Nick Tilsley upset him anymore.

He decided he'd just concentrate on making sure his relationship with Carla was as smooth as possible and he promised himself he wouldn't take out his absurd feelings of jealousy out on her.

Unfortunately, Peter couldn't keep this promise.

Unfortunately Peter let his emotions and his stubbornness take over.

* * *

It all started when Carla had returned back to the flat at about one pm. She had planned on being at the factory until much later but they seemed to have everything under control so she thought she'd go home and maybe see about that little dance with Peter.

After all, Jada had a very good memory for a twenty three month old and Carla was sure her daughter would mention it when she got in.

The thought of dancing with Peter made Carla blush terribly and as she approached the building she felt like a school girl with a crush. As the past few days had gone by, it was becoming increasingly obvious to Carla that she couldn't keep hiding how close she yearned to be to Peter and she was pretty sure that he knew about it too.

The flat was quiet when Carla arrived home, the TV was switched off and the living room was empty, Carla went into the bedroom to find that Jada and Peter were both fast asleep on the bed.

Jada was still in her frozen dress and she was curled up against Peter who had obviously gotten dressed in a T-Shirt and Jeans at some point in the morning, he wasn't wearing the woolly hat anymore though.

Carla smiled at them both lovingly and with a sigh, she closed the door quietly. She went back into the living room and didn't quite know what to with herself because she wasn't used to having much time alone, so after tidying up Jada's toys a little bit and skimming through the channels on TV, she eventually phoned Michelle.

"I've just got back and they're both asleep… I'm so bored." She complained, sitting down on the sofa with a sigh, it wasn't long before Michelle had also complained about being bored too and had invited Carla over to her place.

Carla thought about it for a while and decided that she should get as much time with her best friend as possible so she eventually said,

"Alright, I'll be over in a second…" but it was at that very moment that she thought she could hear the sound of somebody very little shuffling about in the bedroom.

Carla popped her head into the bedroom where Jada and Peter had been sleeping and saw that her little girl was awake, sat cross-legged on the floor playing with Simba in her lap and babbling away to him as she did so.

"Hang on Chelle, Jada's awake." Carla said quietly, smiling as her eyes travelled from Jada over to Peter who was still in a deep sleep, in the very bed that she had slept in last night. "Typical…" Carla said whilst she mentally cursed him for falling asleep there because later on when she had to get in that bed, it would once again smell of him and sleeping with the warm and familiar scent of Peter was something Carla found to be very difficult.

"You're still coming over right? I've put the kettle on n I ave to tell ya what Steve's done now, just bring Jada over with ya, Amy's ere she can keep her company." Michelle said, sounding as if she wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"Alright alright... I'll be over soon." Carla said and after that she very quickly hung up on Michelle. She then looked back into the bedroom and very quietly whispered, "Jada…" Jada looked over towards the door and beamed as she saw her Mother stood there.

"Mummy!" She cried loudly, making Carla then say,

"Shhhhh…" She pointed over to a sleeping Peter, which made Jada very dramatically say,

"Shhhh...Daddy sleep." She put her finger to her lips and giggled as Carla nodded and then held her arms out.

"Come ere darlin..." She said, Jada scrambled up off the floor as fast as she could and brought Simba along with her. Carla picked her up and took one last look at Peter before closing the door and saying, "Do you wanna come with Mummy to see Auntie Chelle n Amy?" Jada nodded so Carla got her dressed properly as she was still in her Elsa dress and after Jada was now wearing a pair of blue jeans and a pink jumper with matching Pink converse, they both made their way over to the Pub.

* * *

It was another two hours before Peter awoke to find his bed empty, he rolled over and rubbed his eyes as he called out loud,

"Jada…" He had expected her to answer him straight away but she didn't. "Jada…" He called louder, sitting up slowly and looking for his daughter. He took a moment to think things over and then jumped right up and out of bed. He dashed into the living room because the last thing he had remembered was that Jada was in bed with him and now she wasn't. "Jada!"

There was no sign of her anywhere, there was no sign of anyone else in the flat and there was no note explaining where Jada was either, which made Peter panic… a lot.

At first he assumed that Carla must have come home and that maybe she had Jada with her but then he remembered that Carla had said she'd be gone all day, which made him start to panic all over again.

Peter looked at his watch and saw that it was now three thirty pm, Simon would still be at school by now so he definitely didn't have Jada.

Peter ran back into his bedroom and grabbed his phone to call Carla's mobile and ask her if she'd been home.

He called Carla's phone, three times in a row and there was no answer to each of them.

His hand shook as he held his phone in his hand and tried to think of what to do next.

He swallowed hard and tried not to think the worst as he double-checked the bathroom and Simon's bedroom to make sure Jada wasn't hiding because during a rather epic game of hide n seek with her parents and Simon, she had managed to squeeze her self behind the wash basket in the bathroom and had hidden there for a very long time before being found.

Once Peter realised Jada definitely wasn't anywhere in his flat he grabbed his keys and rushed out of it at the speed of light.

This was like his worst nightmare and he had to clench his fist to keep himself calm.

He had no idea where to go first but as he ran towards the Pub, He told himself that Jada was fine.

 _She had to be fine, why wouldn't she be fine?_

He told himself that Jada would probably be in the pub out back with Carla and Michelle, she'd probably be playing with Amy or eating a packet of crisps or something… but then Peter gulped and thought _what if she wasn't?_

Peter just couldn't let his mind wonder any further because he knew he'd get himself into a right state if he did, as he entered the pub he took a sharp breath and he was not prepared to see the sight he did.

Carla and Nick... again.

Carla was stood leaning against the bar next to Nick, she was chatting away to him and he was watching her slightly entranced as Peter quickly approached the both of them.

"Peter..." Carla said with a smile with no clue how worried he was about their daughter right now.

"Did you take Jada?" He asked, almost short of breath, staring at Carla and not even daring to look at Nick because he was sure he might punch him.

"Yes…" Carla said slowly, not quite understanding Peter's panic at first, as far as she was concerned she had just taken her child across the road and she didn't see anything wrong with that, although she knew something was wrong with Peter by the look on his face.

"And you didn't think to let me know… leave a note or something? I've been going out of me mind…" Peter said breathlessly, he was mighty relived that Carla had been the one to take Jada and that she was obviously safe but he was now annoyed at how casual Carla was acting about the situation, that and the fact that once again she was with Nick Tilsley.

 _Leanne must have been right_ , he thought. They must like each other because why else was he catching them together for the second time today.

"Oh…" Carla said, suddenly realising why Peter had looked so panic stricken when he had walked in the pub. "Sorry…" She said and she meant it but Peter wasn't moved by this sorry, he shook his head slowly because he felt like Carla didn't understand at all and said,

"Carla I woke up expecting to see her right beside me n she wasn't there…"

"Well... I mean it must have been obvious she were with me Peter…" Carla began but Peter shook his head furiously and said,

"How? You told me you'd be at the factory until late… what the hell was I supposed to think when I woke up n she wasn't there?"

"I'm sorry Peter, I… didn't think…" Carla said apologetically. "You should ave phoned…" Peter swallowed hard trying to steady his breathing again because he had gotten really scared. He took another breath before saying,

"I did Carla, I called you three times n there was no answer…"

"Oh right…" Carla said, she looked around the bar and then realised her phone was not nearby. "I think I left me phone out back… whoops." She said with half a laugh, Nick laughed slightly too just to be companionable but this, made Peter even more mad.

"It's not bloody funny Carla, You scared the life out of me." Peter said solemnly making Carla's face go serious. She nodded and bit her lip, knowing that Peter must really have been frightened she was about to apologise again when Peter glanced around him, obviously looking for Jada.

"She's with Michelle." Carla replied, not knowing that this comment was about to annoy Peter even more.

"Michelle?" He said, "You woke Jada up, brought all the way over ere n left her with Michelle so you could spend time with _him_." The word _him,_ came out pettily and Peter knew it, he had gestured at Nick with his hand when he said it, which had made Nick look away awkwardly.

Carla looked slightly taken aback by Peter's sudden attitude and took a moment to compose her self before calmly saying,

"She woke up on her own accord Peter…"

"Well that's not the point, is it Carla? I mean why bring her over if you weren't going to spend time with her?" Peter replied irritatedly, Carla sighed a little, feeling as if Peter was trying to make her feel bad for not being with Jada and then said,

"Chelle and Amy were going to the shop and Jada wanted to go too…" She looked at Nick who looked rather uncomfortable about the situation and then back at Peter before saying, "Is that a problem?"

"No. I just don't see why you needed to bring Jada over ere when she could ave stayed at home with me, especially if you're going to be stood out ere with company."

"Company?" Carla repeated with an eyebrow raised, Nick picked up the drink he was drinking and tried to make a quiet getaway but Carla stopped him by tugging at his sleeve and said, "Stay there you." She then turned to Peter angrily and said, "I came out ere to buy Nick a drink…" This didn't help the situation and because Peter knew people were watching his rather awkward exchange between him and Carla, he just ignored his urge to ask her why she would want to buy Nick a drink shrugged and said,

"Y'know what… it's fine… I mean you don't ave to explain your self to me… I'll see ya later." He then turned on his heel and rather than leaving it there like he should have done he added, "You might as well tell Michelle to drop Jada back at my place… that way _you two_ can be alone?" He then walked out of the pub, leaving a very very irate Carla behind.

He flounced home in a horrid mood and as he let himself into his flat, he knew he had been more than little childish about things.

It wasn't totally Carla's fault that he had gotten so worried about Jada and he knew he still had no right to comment on who she spent time with but his emotions were all over the place from where he had thought something had happened to Jada, so he hadn't been thinking straight.

He sat down on his sofa, tutting to himself in frustration as he tried to calm himself down.

Only a few minutes could have gone by before he heard the front door slam and Peter knew that it was going to be Carla.

He could hear her heeled boots stomp up the stairs and before he knew it, he could hear her key go into his door.

"How dare you?" She cried as she flung the front door open, Peter rolled his eyes and got up as Carla shut the door behind her.

"How dare I what? Care about the whereabouts of our child?" Peter asked dryly.

"No, how dare you approach me in the pub like that?" Carla angrily asked, "What the hell were ya thinking?"

"Oh I'm sorry… did I embarrass you?" Peter replied sarcastically, he rolled his eyes again earning a dark look from Carla who shook her head and said,

"You embarrassed yourself Peter, I mean yeah I get I should ave left a note for you to say where Jada was, you were scared, that part I understand but there was absolutely no need for the attitude you gave me... especially that petty little comment you made before you left about Michelle dropping Jada ere so I could be alone with Nick."

"Why? I mean isn't that what you want? To be alone with Nick… so you can buy him a drink." Peter said, again knowing full well how childish he was being but also not caring because if Carla was going to have a go at him, he wasn't going to take it lying down.

"Why would I want to be alone with Nick?" Carla cried, still confused as to why Nick was suddenly such an issue here, she liked him as a friend and nothing else and for Peter to take it another way made things between them suddenly very odd.

Earlier on, she and Jada had gone straight into the pub and spent a good hour and a half with Michelle and Amy before Amy had mentioned going to the shop for some sweets.

Like any near two year old, Jada jumped at the chance to go to the shop for some sweets and went along with Amy and Michelle, leaving Carla free for a moment to go into the pub. She hadn't planned on seeing Nick but when she had done, she felt like she had owed him for helping her out with something at the factory earlier, which is why she had bought him the drink.

Peter had literally just walked in the pub as Nick had received his drink and Carla couldn't believe that he was getting so jealous over such a nothing moment, over something she had done just to be decent.

What Carla didn't know, was that last night Peter had to put up with Leanne's stirring and she didn't know just how much waking up without Jada had put him on edge.

"Well go on Peter? Tell me? Why on earth would I want to be alone with Nick?" Carla asked again with her hands on her hips.

"Well from what I hear... you two ave been getting rather friendly…" Peter said, hating how ridiculous he sounded because it made him feel so petty.

"Friendly?" Carla repeated with her eyebrows furrowed together in rage.

"Yes." Peter nodded, standing his ground even though he wished he hadn't started this argument now. "Saturday night in the bistro... ring any bells? You two were seen flirting the night away apparently…"

Carla couldn't understand what on earth Peter was getting at, she thought for a moment and then she realised who must have been sticking their oar in.

"Leanne..." She sighed. She then ran a hand through her hair frustratedly and said, "Are you actually telling me that you're getting this ridiculous information from that jumped up little ex wife of yours?"

"You're not denying it though are you?" Peter asked,

"Denying what?" Carla asked in despair, "He gave me n Chelle some free drinks and we had a chat, big flamin deal Peter!"

"And this morning?" Peter asked with his eyes wide, "You said you were meeting Michelle in the café n yet I saw you walk in there with him…"

"I can't believe this…" Carla cried, "There is nothing going on with me n Nicholas Tilsley, I mean come on Peter give me some credit for god sake! He's your ex's ex! I bought him a drink to say thank you because he helped me out with something at the factory earlier, the printer was playing up and the girls said Nick had helped them out with it before so I called him over, that's it."

"Look Carla as I said you don't ave to explain your self ere..." Peter said as casually as he could even though he was still feeling on edge about things.

"You're damn right I don't." Carla nodded, "N just so you know... I can spend time with whoever I want."

"Yes I know." Peter said quietly, feeling about two feet tall as he spoke.

"N you ave no right to comment on who I spend time with either." Carla said, slightly changing her angry tone of voice to a more nervous one.

"I know." Peter said mundanely, he didn't need to be told all of this, he knew it and then, Carla told him something else he didn't need to hear.

"The only reason I'm ere is because of Jada... The only reason... you... y'get that right?" Carla lied, knowing what she was saying would probably hurt Peter a but being unable to take it back once it was all said.

"You don't ave to treat me like an idiot Carla, I'm fully aware of the situation we're in right now!" Peter said with his throat going dry.

"Good..." Carla said bluntly, hating how the evening had turned out because literally half an hour ago she and Michelle had been discussing the dance Jada had wanted her Mummy and Daddy to have later and now she and Peter were practically at each others throats.

"I'm just gonna say this though... even if nothing's happening with Nick... He's not a good man Carla... He might be all sweetness n light towards you but he's done some pretty nasty things... Don't forget that..." Peter said, feeling slightly better for bad mouthing Nick even if he truly didn't mean what he was saying.

"Yeah well so ave you Peter and trust me, I aven't forgotten those either!" Carla replied and the moment the words had left her lips she regretted it. Peter looked extremely hurt by her comment, even though he knew she was right, he had done some truly terrible things in the past. Carla was just about to apologise to Peter when they were suddenly interrupted.

"Hi Dad..." The door suddenly opened and Simon came into the room, followed by Michelle who was carrying Jada in her arms. She had gotten back to the pub to find that Carla had gone and had come over to the flat to see if she could find her there.

Simon had been on his way home from school at the time so he had let Michelle in expecting to just find his Dad and Carla getting on like they had been doing for the past week only now it looked like they couldn't be further from getting along.

They both looked angry, hurt and as if they might start crying at any given moment.

"Is... everything alright?" Michelle asked, sensing the immediate tension between Carla and Peter. Jada had a Milkybar in her little hands as Michelle put her down and luckily she was way too preoccupied with her chocolate to realise that her parents were both on the verge of tears.

"Dad?" Simon said, taking his backpack off his shoulders anxiously and looking between his Dad and Carla.

"Everything's fine." Peter lied, swallowing as Jada walked into the living room and up to her Mum.

"I got chocolate Mummy." she said as Carla bent down and picked her up.

"You're a lucky girl Jada, I hope you said Thank you to Auntie Chelle." Carla said, not even looking at Jada or Michelle and looking at Peter instead who was smiling falsely at Simon and trying to pretend as if everything was okay.

"Yeah she did." Michelle said slowly, she cleared her throat nervously and said, "Do you two need a moment?"

"No." Peter said with a quick sniff. "Errr Si I said I'd pop over to your Granddad's, D'ya wanna come with me?"

"Yeah... okay." Simon said glancing over at Carla who kissed Jada on the head tenderly. He guessed his Dad wanted out of the flat as soon as possible and decided he should go with him to try and find out why. "I'll just put me stuff in me room." Simon said, bending down and picking up his backpack. He left Michelle stood awkwardly in the door for a moment, watching Carla and Peter who both tried their very best to act as if nothing was wrong.

"I'm... gonna put the kettle on." She eventually said, walking into Peter's kitchen because she didn't know what else to do. Simon came out of his room and as he did so, Peter nodded at him, picked up his leather jacket and said,

"Let's go." He walked over to Carla who still had Jada in her arms and placed a soft kiss on his daughters nose before saying, "Daddy will be back soon."

"Bye." Jada waved with a mouthful of white chocolate.

"Peter..." Carla said delicately, with her voice actually breaking as she said his name. "I..."

"Don't." He said shaking his head slowly as Simon gave Jada quick kiss on the cheek and said goodbye. "We've both said enough." and with that Peter turned around and left his flat.


	14. Yummy

**_Sooooo sorry for not updating this one for so long._**

 ** _Your reviews would be much appreciated._**

* * *

To say that things were now awkward at number 12 Rosamund Street would be an understatement.

Peter and Carla's heated exchange had made the atmosphere in the flat almost unbearable.

They didn't speak the rest of that Sunday evening, Peter and Simon had gone over to Ken's place and had stayed there until late, until almost ten pm... until Ken had yawned and said how tired he was.

Simon just knew that his Dad had tried to stay out late as he possibly could, just so he could avoid seeing Carla again.

By the pained look on their faces when he walked in his Dad's flat with Michelle and Jada in tow, Simon knew something serious must have happened between his Dad and Carla earlier on that evening. He was desperate to find out what actually went on between his Dad and Carla but Peter had made sure that he kept very quiet on the matter, mainly because he knew it was a silly argument and that Simon wouldn't understand but also because he didn't want to let his Dad know that anything had gone wrong.

Despite Peter's efforts it wasn't too hard for Ken to tell that his son had something on his mind. It very obvious to Ken that Peter was trying very very hard not to act like something had happened and to keep his cool.

Later on that Sunday night, when a rattled Peter and curious Simon had both stepped into their flat, they found that Carla and Jada were both in bed… Although Carla wasn't asleep, she was wide-awake.

After the argument they'd had earlier, there was no way she would have been able to sleep as easily as she had done over the past few days and as she listened to Peter and Simon move about the flat and get themselves ready for bed, she wondered if she should maybe get up and say something.

She wondered if she should apologise for what had happened but then the stubborn side of her decided that she didn't even have anything to apologise for.

Other than the fact that he had thought Jada had gone missing, Carla felt Peter had totally overreacted and that he was to blame for the entire argument. She still felt as if Peter had no place in telling her who to spend time with so in the end, instead of getting up and going to speak to Peter, she stayed in bed and spent the night tossing and turning.

Deep down, Carla knew that this difficult situation with Peter wasn't over.

* * *

Night very slowly turned into Morning and Carla awoke to the feeling of something soft and furry being placed right on top of her head, it didn't take too long for Carla to realise that a certain cuddly toy was now sitting directly on her head.

"Jada…" Carla chuckled with her eyes still closed, "Why is Simba sitting on me head?"

"Rawwwwr!" came Jada's reply and when Carla opened her eyes, she saw that her almost two year old was right up close, so close that their noses were practically touching.

Carla smiled to herself for a moment and just took a long hard look at her little girl who looked so much like her Daddy when she smiled that it still made Carla melt on the inside.

"Rawwwwwr!" Jada cried again, lifting Simba as high as she possibly could before sending him crashing back down again onto her Mum's head.

"Rawwwwwr!" Carla growled back, taking Jada by both arms and pulling her down onto the bed so that she could tickle her. Jada squealed with laughter as her Mum pinned her down on the bed and as she stopped Carla kissed her on the had and said a very heartfelt, "Morning Monkey."

"Morning." Jada said with a cute smile, she sat up when Carla let go of her and rubbed her eyes tiredly before saying, "Jada go see Daddy now…" She clambered off the bed she and Carla were sat on and dragged Simba along with her as she walked towards the bedroom door, which had been left slightly ajar.

"Jada…" Carla called after her but it was too late, Jada was already gone.

Carla sighed and rolled her eyes as she stood up. She didn't know what to do now. It was Monday morning and Peter was opening up the second hand shop whilst Carla stayed with Jada so she had hoped that if she waited long enough she could act as if they were still asleep and avoid Peter all together but now Jada had gone into the living area she couldn't pretend anymore.

Carla hesitated for a moment, not knowing whether to just head out of the bedroom and act completely normal with Peter like nothing happened or to go out there and see how he was acting first.

She didn't want to start chatting away as normal if Peter was going to still act oddly with her because that would be rather embarrassing so she eventually decided she'd say nothing, just to see what Peter did.

As silly as it seemed, Carla couldn't help but run a hand through her long hair and check her reflection in the mirror before taking a deep breath and opening her bedroom door, after all she might be mad at Peter but she still wanted to make sure she looked good whenever she was around him.

She slowly walked into the kitchen in her Pyjamas and found Jada sat on Peter's lap at the breakfast table already making her way through a piece of toast and chatting away to her Dad.

"Simba scare Mummy, rawr!" Jada said with her eyes wide, taking Simba in her free hand and shoving it onto her Dad's head like she had previously done to Carla.

"Did he?" Peter chuckled, beaming at his daughter who nodded and put her most favourite cuddly toy down on the table.

The fond look on Peter's face soon faded when he saw Carla stood nearby, he didn't look cross as such, just like he wasn't sure what to say or do.

He pondered saying _good morning_ but as Carla walked straight past him into his kitchen, it was his turn to let the stubborn side take over and he decided he would let Carla be the one, to speak first.

Last night when She had said that she hadn't forgotten all the bad things he had done, it hurt Peter a lot more then he had realised and he couldn't get the look she had on her face when she said it, out of his mind.

It was also the way she said that the only reason she was at his place was because of Jada, that hurt Peter too and even if he wanted to say something to Carla, he wasn't sure if he physically could.

As she put the kettle on, Carla took Peter's silence to mean that he wasn't going to speak to her after all and decided that as childish as it was, two could play at that game.

Jada continued babbling away whilst sat on her Dad's lap, blissfully unaware of the sudden tension in the room between her parents and it was only when Carla had made her cup of coffee and had headed back towards the bedroom that Peter tutted and let out a rather loud and rather long sigh.

"Summat to say Peter?" Carla asked turning around irritatedly, Peter looked at her in shock because he hadn't actually expected her to retaliate, he swallowed back the toast he had been eating and very coolly said,

"No… well…" He paused looking down at Jada who was now staring up at him and stroking his beard affectionately, "Not… if you don't." He eventually replied and the moment the words had left his lips he wished that they hadn't.

"Me?" Carla scoffed, "I thought _I'd_ said enough?" She said, remembering what Peter had said to her last night. He just rolled his eyes and then shook his head before saying,

"Actually I said _we'd_ both said enough… but if you wanna be that way, then fine." He handed Jada another slice of toast because she'd finished her first one and knew that he was starting to wind Carla right up.

"Be like what?" She replied staring at Peter irritatedly as he kissed Jada tenderly on the head.

"Petty." Peter said with a shrug, directly looking at Carla now as he spoke.

"And how exactly am I being petty?" Carla asked still stood with her cup of coffee in her hand by the bedroom door.

"Well…" Peter began, "Coming in ere and making yourself a coffee without saying anything to me, then going back into the bedroom instead of sitting at the breakfast table with us like normal… I mean you're the one making this situation worse not me."

Carla was stood only a few feet away from Peter at this point. She was also trying very hard to keep her cool, for Jada's sake only that is.

Had her almost two year old not been sat on Peter's lap, Carla might not have been responsible for her actions.

She detested the rather smug look on his face and there and then there were only two things she wanted to do to Peter.

One, was to swing for him and smack him hard around the face just for being so high and mighty and the other? Well Carla didn't want to think too much about the other thing that she wished to do to Peter right now.

"Y'know what Peter… I'm not doing this… I can't do this… not anymore…" Carla began but then she stopped when Simon entered the kitchen and was immediately taken aback by the frosty atmosphere in the room, he was already dressed for school and was supposed to be leaving any moment.

"Morning…" He said, looking between Carla and his Dad, he saw the rather aggravated look on Carla's face and then said, "Everything alright?"

"Yeah... It's fine Simon." Carla said, walking to the kitchen table and practically throwing her self down onto the seat furthest from Peter because she didn't want Simon to think something was wrong, even though he wasn't a fool and he really could tell something was wrong.

"Do ya want some thing to eat Si?" Peter asked as Simon walked over to the table.

"Nah… I'm not hungry today..." Simon said, Jada was grinning up at her big brother in a way, which almost made Peter and Carla forget their differences. Simon picked Jada up and off their Dad's lap so he could give her a quick kiss and the entire time he hugged her, Carla and Peter were totally silent.

"Bye bye." Jada said wrapping her little arms around Simon's neck.

"Bye." He said giving her one more kiss before handing her back to her Dad. "I'll see you two later yeah?" he then said, looking over at Carla and then back at his Dad.

"Bye Simon." Carla said softly, Peter nodded at him and also said Bye and as Simon left he turned back to face Carla. He wondered if she would stay sat at the table with him but as soon as she heard the front door shut she picked up her cup of coffee and left the room once again.

"Mummy…" Jada said perplexed putting her head on one side and then looking up at Peter. "Where Mummy go?"

"Mummy has gone back to bed… let's hope when she gets back up she'll get out on the right side this time." Peter said with a sigh, staring over at the bedroom door and hoping that he was right.

* * *

An hour later and it was time for Peter to open up shop, he'd gotten dressed and left Jada playing on the sofa with Simba and he was about to leave when he realised that he had to let Carla know he was going.

He rolled his eyes at how stupid he knew he was being and then walked over to the bedroom door, which was still shut.

"Carla…" He called, using his knuckles to knock on the door. "Carla… I'm going now." The door opened right in front of him and Carla suddenly appeared. She was dressed, no longer in her pyjamas and instead wearing a red top with black jeans. Her hair was poker straight and she already had her make up done, as if she was going to go out. Peter couldn't help but give her the once over with his eyes before quickly saying, "I'm… going to open up the second hand shop."

Carla looked him up and down too, in the very same way he'd just done to her and then said a very plain,

"Bye." Before sauntering past him and going over to the sofa where Jada was sat, it was then that Peter realised she was carrying a set of Jada's clothes, Jada's changing bag plus her own black leather handbag and as Carla bent down and said, "Come ere Jada, let's get you dressed n ready to go." Peter swallowed very hard.

He felt his chest go tight and he suddenly felt very short of breath.

"Where…?" He began, terrified that maybe Carla was getting Jada ready so they could leave. He had a petrifying thought that she might move out… maybe go back to Michelle's or something because he'd made things so difficult. He knew she was still very annoyed about last night and that she probably didn't want to stay at his place anymore because of it. "Where you going?"

As soon as he spoke he regretted it because by the look on Carla's face he could she was thinking that he was being nosy again.

"I… I don't mean it like that… I just…" Peter began, but as Carla pulled Jada's Hello Kitty pyjama top over her head she just ignored him and said,

"Uh oh… where's Jada gone?" Peter heard Jada's muffled giggle as she tried to scramble out of her top and when she had managed to get it completely off she said a very loud and very cute,

"Here am!" Carla laughed lovingly at her little girl and kissed her before picking her up and helping her wriggle out of her trousers.

"Bye then…" Peter said, picking up his keys off the cabinet, which was by the front door. He waved at Jada who was still being undressed and knew that he probably wasn't going to get much more out of Carla who was still purposely ignoring him.

Carla got Jada changed and dressed because she had plans for them both today, plans which included meeting Michelle for some coffee and some much needed retail therapy.

They both ended up meeting in a Starbucks in town and after ordering some large mugs of coffee each and some juice for Jada who was sat by a coffee table on her knees scribbling through a colouring book, Carla and Michelle sank down onto some comfy arm chairs so they could have a little catch up.

"So, what happened when Peter came home last night then?" Michelle asked. She'd stayed with Carla whilst Peter and Simon went to Ken's and had heard all about the heated conversation that she and Simon had walked in on. She had ended up leaving Peter's flat at eight pm and had spent the most of this morning wondering how things had gone on between them.

"Well… I know you told me I should wait for Peter to come back so we could talk…" Carla began, "But instead I went to bed."

"Oh Carla…" Michelle sighed, rolling her eyes at her best friend who raised her coffee mug to her lips and shook her head. "What d'ya do that for?"

"Because I'm an idiot that's why." Carla said as she put her mug down on the table.

"Okay, so how were things this morning then?" Michelle asked curiously.

"Well… not great if I'm honest…" Carla began, "I mean I went into the kitchen n he didn't say anything to me… so I didn't say anything either."

"Oh for crying out loud, you two are both as bad as each other." Michelle said shaking her head once again. "You're like a pair of emotional teenagers you are, So are ya telling me neither of you ave said anything to each other all morning?"

"No… I'm not actually..." Carla said before taking another sip of coffee, Jada looked up at her Mum and because she saw her having a drink, she went ahead and took hold of the juice she had bought.

"Jada drink too." Jada said, making Carla laugh as she took a large gulp of juice before going back to her colouring.

"Go on then… what happened?" Michelle said.

"Long story short, I just made my self a coffee, I headed back to the bedroom and then he got the right hump, He said I was being petty… me? Petty? When he were the one who was questioning me over Nick flaming Tilsley, as if I would ever go there?" Carla looked down at Jada who was still making marks in her favourite colouring book and then said, "Anyways he thinks this whole thing is my fault, I tell ya, the only reason I didn't give him a right slap is because Jada was there." Michelle let out a small laugh and shook her head before saying,

"This whole thing is so stupid… It's barley even an argument… I mean you n Peter both realise that don't ya?"

"It's not stupid Chelle." Carla said firmly, "This is about Peter thinking he can tell me what to do n who to do it with? I mean what was he thinking? Do ya know he had the cheek to ask me where I were going earlier? Like I ave to ask him before leaving the house?"

"Carla I doubt he was trying to be bossy." Michelle began but Carla looked down at Jada sadly and then sniffed before saying,

"Things were so good before last night Chelle… so good… almost perfect in fact… I don't know why this had to happen…"

"Carla stop acting so dense, First of all, This is just as much your fault as it is his, Second… you full well know why Peter acted the way he did… I mean other than the fact that his emotions all over the place after thinking Jada was missing… well there's the rather large elephant in the room…" Michelle said, watching Carla who was staring miserably down at her nails.

"Oh yeah." She said looking up at Michelle, "N what's that?"

"That you two are still madly in love with each other." Michelle said bluntly, Carla went to protest but Michelle just shook her head and said, "Look I'm not going to argue with ya about this Carla, frankly I aven't the patience for it darlin… I'm just calling it how I see it and right now, you n Peter are acting like a pair of right prats. You two need to sit down like adults n sort this all out properly." Carla just sat in silence opposite Michelle for a moment because there was nothing else she could say, she didn't want to really think about her feelings for Peter right now… or ever for that matter because thinking about her feelings for Peter made things very complicated and complicated wasn't what she needed right now.

The silence Carla and Michelle were sat in went on for a good few minutes before Carla ran a hand through her hair frustratedly and said,

"Right… that's enough about me n Peter. Come on, let's drink these coffees and hit to the shops."

"Okay." Michelle said delicately, knowing that Carla was avoiding the subject of Peter because she knew that she was right, Carla and Peter were definitely still in love with each other.

* * *

"Alright Dad." Simon said, as he walked into Barlow's Buys at four pm. He had just got home from school and since no one was home he thought he'd pop downstairs and see if his Dad wanted some company for the last hour of his shift.

"Hey…" Peter said smiling at Simon as he approached the cash desk. It had been such a long time since Simon had met him at work by choice and as Simon walked around the desk happily, Peter couldn't help but pull his son in for hug.

"Thought I'd come n keep ya company." Simon said cheerily, he leant on the desk with his elbows and gazed around the empty shop.

"Ahhh, that's kind kiddo but you really don't ave to." Peter said, although he was slightly pleased Simon had turned up because today had been an extremely quiet and slow day, especially since his mind had been on Carla the whole day. He was so bored that he was in the middle of doing a stock take when Simon came in even though he'd already done one the day before.

"Nah… I don't mind, besides, there's no one at home." Simon said casually, not knowing the words he'd just said would send a chill up Peter's spine.

"No one?" He repeated, swallowing as Simon nodded at him. "Did you check the bedroom?" Peter asked, wondering if maybe Carla really had packed up and gone after all, the thought of it made him feel sick and he had to stop what he was doing and take a deep breath.

"No… why?" Simon asked standing upright, he hadn't thought twice about his Dad's flat being empty until now. "Dad… Where's Carla?"

"I dunno…" Peter began.

"You don't know?" Simon said confused, "But she normally tells you everything." This was true, Simon had noticed that since Carla had been staying with him and his Dad she always told Peter where she was going and what she was doing, he'd also noticed they were always chatting about something… well at least up until yesterday they were.

"Well she didn't today… n she shouldn't ave to… it's not really my business is it?" Peter said remembering the conversation he and Carla had last night.

"But…" Simon began, he remembered the way they were with each other this morning and last night and then said, "Dad… come on… what happened with you n Carla?"

"Si…" Peter began but his son shook his head irritatedly and said,

"Don't do that Dad, don't try n fob me off, don't tell me everything's going to be okay… something happened… n I wanna know what."

"It was just a little… disagreement that's all…" Peter said sighing but Simon was still unconvinced. "Okay… not a little one… but now that I think about it I realise how stupid it all was… Anyways... now? Well I wouldn't be surprised if Carla hasn't gone back to Michelle's."

"She wouldn't." Simon said shaking his head, "No way Dad, she wouldn't do that to Jada… they're both dead happy at our place… it's so obvious."

"Oh I dunno Simon." Peter said rolling his eyes, "She wouldn't talk to me before I left so… she could be anywhere, I guess we'll just have to wait n see what happens."

"I'm telling ya… she's not moved out Dad." Simon insisted after watching his Dad's concerned expression, "I'm sure by the time we get back home she and Jada will be there."

"I hope your right." Peter said nodding, "I really do."

Unfortunately, Simon wasn't right. When they got home at five pm the flat was still empty, there was no sign of Jada and Carla anywhere.

"They're probably still out somewhere that's all." Simon said encouragingly to his Dad who sighed heavily and sat down on the sofa. Peter didn't say anything after that, he thought about maybe sending Carla a text to see where she was but he knew it would be taken completely the wrong way and that she wouldn't appreciate it, so he just sat anxiously in front of the TV whilst Simon put the kettle on because he knew that's what grown ups around him always seemed to do when they were worried about stuff.

Carla and Jada eventually returned back to 12a Rosamund Street at six pm, they had gone on a very long shopping trip with Michelle where Carla had decided she better make a start on some Christmas shopping for the people who she wouldn't actually be seeing when it actually came to Christmas.

The thought of Christmas being a matter of weeks away and the thought of Carla and Jada being back in L.A for it made Michelle rather upset and so, after their shopping trip, Carla had gone with her back to the pub for a while to try and calm her down.

It was only when Jada started whimpering about being hungry that Carla decided she should probably head back to the flat and when she entered it with Jada in her arms they found an anxious Peter and Simon sat on the sofa.

"Hi…" Carla said rather nervously, She put Jada down onto the ground who ran towards her Dad and Simon with her arms open wide. She flung Simba onto the sofa and then shouted,

"Hello!" Simon smiled at his little sister broadly before he scooped her up and kissed her lovingly on the cheek.

"Hi Jada… ave you been shopping?" Simon asked, looking at Carla who had a lot of shopping bags in her hands. Peter gave Jada a relived smile and stood up as Carla closed the door behind her.

When she turned back around she saw that Peter was stood only feet away and he was practically staring at her.

"Hi." She said quietly, almost nervously in fact.

"Hi." Peter nodded, biting his bottom lip ever so slightly before edging towards Carla. "Do ya need some help?" He said reaching out to take some of the bags that Carla was holding because she really was holding a lot.

"No!" Carla cried, a little to loudly, snatching the bags away from him as fast as she could because she actually had a Christmas present for Peter in there and she really didn't want him to see it.

"Oh…" Peter sighed, "Okay then." He took this to mean that Carla was still in a mood with him and walked back over to the sofa, he sat down next to Simon who still had Jada on his lap.

"Thanks... for offering to help Peter…" Carla said as she began to walk to the bedroom, "I wasn't being funny… I just…" Peter wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention by this point, instead he took Jada off Simon and said,

"So what did ya buy Daddy Jada?" Jada giggled as Peter undid her black suede jacket and thankfully didn't spill the beans about the present that Carla had bought for Peter.

"Jada want yum yum." Jada eventually said as Peter handed her coat to Simon who went and hung it up next to his. He smiled as he did so, still not over the sight of also seeing Carla and Jada's stuff hung up by the front door. As he returned to the sofa he saw Carla go into the bedroom and he heard his Dad say,

"Tell ya what, I don't reckon me or Mummy is in the mood for cooking tonight. Should we go n get some chips for dinner?"

"Chips…" Jada said slowly, Simon chuckled as he sat down next to his Dad and said,

"I think she thinks you mean crisps Dad."

"Oh…" Peter laughed as Jada still looked confused at the prospect of having crisps for dinner, he knew that after living in L.A for two years meant that she sometimes said different words for things and rather than try to explain it, he just said, "Come on… let's get your coat back on."

"Why where is she going?" Carla asked as she left the bedroom, after hiding the presents she'd just bought.

"Down the Chippy…" Peter said getting up off the sofa and collecting Jada's coat from where Simon had just hung it up. He put his coat on and saw Carla's expression and then added, "If that's alright with you of course."

"You just had to add that little last bit didn't ya?" Carla said rolling her eyes, she watched as Peter bent down to put Jada's coat on and as he picked her up he said,

"What you having Si?"

"Can I just ave a battered sausage n Chips please Dad?" Simon said waving at Jada who had already started waving at him and her Mum.

"Okay." Peter said with a nod, he then looked at Carla who was stood with her arms folded and said, "Cod n Chips?"

He knew he didn't have to ask, he knew that was exactly what she always use to order and as Carla stood before him, she couldn't help but grin at him and say,

"Yeah… with lots of…"

"Salt n Vinegar… I know." Peter nodded with half a smirk, Carla smiled at him again sheepishly and with that he opened his front door and left with Jada clinging onto him.

"Uh… that man does me head in sometimes… I ave no idea how you put up with him all the time." Carla sighed, sitting dramatically down on the sofa next to Simon. He laughed and shrugged at Carla who sighed again and said, "How's he been today?"

"On edge." Simon said with a small smile, "He thought you not being ere meant that you n Jada had moved out."

"Really?" Carla cried, when Simon nodded she shook her head and said, "Oh the silly beggar, as if I'd do that… I mean yeah todays been awful but we've both been really happy ere."

"Yeah… I know, that's what _I_ said." Simon said nodding slowly, he then turned to Carla and said, "You two are going to make up right, I hate it like this…"

"Me too." Carla said nodding, she rested her head on Simon's shoulder and smiled before asking Simon, "How was school today?"

"Yeah… it were alright… I spose… it were school, nothing exciting happened..." Simon replied, he looked at Carla who was watching him and then said, "I'm behaving me self if that's what you wanna know."

"Good." Carla said with a nod. Simon laughed silently and then said,

"Hear this, when me Dad asked Jada if she wanted to get some chips, she looked well confused… I reckon she thinks they're on their way to buy a load of packets of cheese and onion."

"Oh no…" Carla laughed, imagining her daughters face when she saw what they were really eating. "Y'know I don't reckon she's actually had chips before… proper ones like, she's only ever had the skinny French fries kind…" Carla sat up properly and then shook her head, "That's a real travesty aint it."

"Pretty much." Simon said nodding his head, unable to imagine never having tasted the delicious chips from down the Chippy.

"Come to think about it, I aven't had any since I left ere…" Carla said, "I'm actually well excited now... L.A's all very well n good if you want a nice meal n stuff but nothing beats a good old fish n chips… Uh I miss it so much y'know…" Simon laughed at her again and then looked serious n said,

"Well… you'll ave to make sure you ave as much fish n chips as you can before you leave ere..."

"It's not just that…" Carla said shaking her head slowly. "I miss everything about this place Si…" Simon looked at her empathetically and then said a very quiet,

"It misses you too y'know... we all do..." Carla smiled fondly at Simon and put an arm around him before resting her head back on his shoulder. They stayed in this position until Peter and Jada returned home. Peter had let Jada walk up the stairs on her own and as she bounded into the flat, Peter was met with the sight of Carla and Simon leaning against each other lovingly.

It was a sight that made him smile wider than he had done all day and it was one that made him realise he couldn't be mad at Carla for a moment later.

* * *

"I wasn't… being funny earlier." Carla said to Peter when he sat down on the sofa. It was now hours later, so late in fact that Simon and Jada were both in bed. Carla had just finished washing up and before she went on to bed, she wanted to clear the air.

After Peter had returned, they all sat down at the dining table together and after a few little awkward moments things soon got back to normal for Carla and Peter.

Jada seemed to enjoy her first proper meal of fish and chips so much that she kept trying to sneak chips of everyone else's plates and Carla had eaten so much food that she thought she might burst.

"What do ya mean?" Peter asked, not entirely sure what Carla was getting at as she approached the sofa.

"When I said I didn't want ya help… it's only because I had a present for you in the bag n I didn't want you to see it." Carla said rather sheepishly.

"A present?" Peter repeated which led Carla to point over to the Christmas tree that was in the corner of the room. "Oh… right." Peter chuckled almost as if he'd forgotten it was Christmas, "I see."

"I just… I just wanted you to know that… that's all." Carla said. There was a slight silence before Peter yawned and because yawns are contagious, she ended up yawning too. "I… better head off to bed." Carla said with a light sigh, She smiled at Peter warmly before turning around to head to her bedroom but then she heard,

"Carla…"

"Yes." She said, turning around quicker than she thought possible.

"I'm sorry." Peter said.

"Sorry…" Carla echoed, "What for?"

"This morning… last night… all of it." Peter said ashamedly.

"Well… I'm sorry too." Carla said with a nod, "It were childish of both of us to act the way we did."

"Childish n Stubborn." Peter said with a light chuckle,

"Yeah…" Carla nodded, "We're both as bad as each other… god help us when Jada gets older eh, Imagine her as a teenager… we're gonna ave our work cut out..." She had meant it as a light hearted joke but from the look on Peter's face it was clear that they were now both reminded that they wouldn't be living together when Jada was a teen. "Peter…" Carla began but he just sniffed hard and said,

"It's fine Carla."

"No. No it's not." Carla said folding her arms and walking back towards the sofa. "I mean… I know stuff like that is ages away but… at some point we're gonna ave to talk about… y'know how things are gonna be in the future."

"What's there to talk about?" Peter said gruffly, "You're still going back to L.A… n there's no way I can come… so…" Carla felt like utter crap just then. She stood on the spot for a moment and then shook her head as if she was trying to shake off the horrible feeling she suddenly had.

"Y'know what… I'm gonna go to bed, we'll discuss this… another time… night Peter." She turned around and didn't give Peter a chance to say anything else. As she closed the bedroom door behind her she sighed heavily and wondered if this was the way things were going to be from now on.

She wondered if maybe now it was getting closer to the date that she and Jada were leaving, that it was always going to be this hard. She wondered if each day would be full of sad moments and if so, Carla wasn't sure that she would be able to take it.

* * *

The next few days went by rather uneventfully, Carla woke up to find Peter acting completely normal again and decided not to rock the boat by talking about the future. They both took turns to look after Jada, one day Carla went to the factory and the other Peter worked at the shop.

Thursday was Peter's day to be with Jada, the pair of them spent the day drawing, watching television and even taking a trip to the park, Peter still made sure he cherished every single moment with Jada and took great pride in being seen with her out on the street. He knew his time with her was going to be coming to an end soon but he tried not to think about it too much.

On their way home from the park, Peter and Jada saw Simon walking back from school, he had a large smoothie bottle in his hand when he saw his Dad and waved at them as they walked towards him.

"Hi Dad, Hi Jada." Simon said smiling.

"Simon" Jada said with a large grin. As they went up the stairs and into their flat Peter said,

"Hey Si… do me a favour, watch your sister whilst I jump in the shower."

"Okay." Simon said, smiling and helping Jada out of her coat. "Did you ave a good day Jada?" he asked as he hung up her coat.

"Jada went park." Jada said excitedly with her arms in the air.

"Wow… I'm dead jealous." Simon said smiling at Jada who sat down on the floor and started to try and take off her wellington boots. She pulled one off and started on the other as Simon heard his Dad call from the bathroom,

"Si… she's probably a bit hungry, can you sort her out a little snack please?"

"Yeah…" Simon called back but then Peter's head came out of the bathroom door.

"Nothing too big though, we're going to dinner in town with Carla later." Peter said enthusiastically.

"Oh… are we now." Simon said with a smirk, glad that things were finally back on track with his Dad and Carla because he wasn't sure how much more of their stubbornness he could take.

"Yes we are." Peter grinned.

"Is that why you're having another shower then?" Simon asked because he knew his Dad had already showered earlier on today. Peter ignored the smug look on his son's face and just said,

"Don't cook the little one something too big okay? A sandwich n some fruit will do."

"Okay." Simon said happily, he switched on the TV as his Dad went back into the bathroom. Simon then walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge, he peered inside and pulled out some cheese, deciding he'd make Jada a cheese toastie cause he quite fancied one himself. He also looked in the fridge for some fruit to give to Jada so she didn't have to wait for too long but he soon realised there was none. He then heard Jada say,

"Jada have some?" She was clutching Simon's Strawberry and Banana smoothie bottle and looked very intrigued to try it.

"Yeah…" Simon said nodding, deciding that his Dad had said that he wanted Jada to have fruit and in Simon's eyes, a smoothie was the next best thing. He got one of Jada's plastic beakers and brought it over to her. He filled it with some of his smoothie and handed it over to Jada who licked her lips and said,

"Yummy." Simon laughed at her as she took a sip and then turned her attention back to the television.

When Simon had finished making the cheese toasties, he walked over to the coffee table with two plates in hand. Jada was sat on the sofa with Simba tucked underneath one arm as Simon looked down at the beaker he'd given Jada, it looked as if had only had about two or three sips of it and said,

"I take it you didn't like me smoothie then Jada?" He placed the plates down on the table and said, "I made you a cheese toastie… come on… sit up." Jada sat up slowly and with a smile, began on the cheese toastie her big brother had made her.

After their little snack, Simon thought about helping his Dad out a bit and started to tidy up the flat, Jada looked engrossed in watching the Lion Guard so he left her to it whilst he walked around and picked up all her toys which had been left lying about.

He then took their plates off to the kitchen and began to wash them up as his Dad left the bathroom.

"Thanks Simon." Peter said smiling at him appreciatively as he walked towards the bedroom to get some clothes.

"No problem." Simon said proudly as he continued to wash up, he was so happy that his Dad and Carla were getting on again that he would have washed up a thousand plates if he had to.

When he was finished he looked over the sofa and smiled at Jada who was still staring at the television. "You alright Jada?" He asked.

"Yes." Came Jada's rather quiet reply, Simon looked at the clock and saw that it was almost five thirty and decided that he should probably get ready to go out too. He walked over to the sofa and said,

"Jada, I'm going into my bedroom to get dressed for dinner… do you wanna come?" Jada shook her head and put her thumb in her mouth so Simon said, "Okay… well I'm gonna be right back…" He very quickly ran into his bedroom and gathered up an outfit to wear, he'd left his bedroom door wide open so he could see the back of the sofa and keep an eye just in case Jada got up.

Simon must have only been gone for about five minutes and had kept his eyes on the sofa for the entire time, Jada didn't move once. When he returned he sat down on the sofa to see that Jada's eyes were closed. At first he thought that his little sister was asleep but then, he took a closer look and it was then that he realised that Jada's mouth was slightly swollen.

"Jada?" Simon said bending down and staring at his little sister, "Jada…" He said again, shaking her gently. Jada's eyes opened a little and as Simon said, "Are you alright?" He realised that she had red blotches on her arms, he knew Jada was prone to eczema but he knew those patches were not on her arms this morning, he then looked back at Jada's face and saw her green eyes roll right back, as if she was fainting. "Dad!" Simon cried, almost bursting into tears because he was so scared. "Dad… Dad come quick!"


	15. Sorry

Peter had never heard Simon shout for him so desperately in all of his life.

He could instantly tell that something terrible must be wrong but he still wasn't prepared for what he saw when he ran into his living room.

Jada was lying listlessly on the sofa with her eyes half open as he approached her and Simon was already in a complete state of tears.

At that moment, Peter felt like his heart actually stopped. His throat had gone totally dry and the first time he tried to talk, it didn't work.

It was as if he was currently staring at his worst nightmare and then suddenly, some adrenaline kicked in.

"What happened?" He cried, shooting down to his knees and gently taking hold of his daughter who barley responded to his touch. "Si… Simon! What happened?" He shouted this time because it was Simon who had suddenly gone into shock mode.

"I… I dunno… One minute she was fine, Sitting there chatting away and the next…" Simon shook as he spoke and as his Dad leant towards Jada to check her breathing he said, "Dad… Dad."

"Shhh!" Peter cried, listening hard to make sure Jada was still breathing properly. Just after a few seconds he could already hear that Jada was wheezing slightly and as he looked down her body, he saw that her arms had blotchy marks all over them and that her lips were swollen.

"Dad... Dad what should I do… should I call an ambulance?" Simon asked, still shaking as he watched his Dad pick an almost floppy Jada up and rest her against his chest.

"No there's no time… grab my car keys…I'm gonna drive..." Peter said anxiously, Simon ran over to the table where his Dad kept his keys and then he ran over and grabbed Simba who had been left on the sofa because he thought Jada might like to have him around.

"Simon, Hurry up!"

Before they knew it, Simon and Peter were both outside the flat with a limp Jada in her Dad's arms. Peter's car was literally parked around the corner but to him and Simon it felt like they were rushing towards it for hours, it felt like it was miles away and like they'd never get to it in time.

When they finally reached it, Peter unlocked it and flung the door to the back seat open.

"Simon get in the back, you're gonna need to hold Jada whilst I drive us to the hospital." Peter said trying to ignore the horrible taste he had in his mouth as he spoke. He felt like any moment he was going to throw up and it was a feeling he'd only ever felt when seeing Simon in danger.

"Okay." Simon croaked also feeling very sick all of a sudden, he quickly got into the back seat of his Dad's car and put Simba down next to him before holding out his arms for his little sister.

As Peter handed Jada over to him he said,

"Be very careful with her..." They didn't actually have a car seat for Jada so Simon put the seatbelt around the both of them. "Seriously Si… watch her."

"I will." Simon nodded, taking a deep breath as he Dad flew into the drivers seat and started the ignition. It only took Peter a few minutes to get to the hospital, he didn't even remember driving as his mind was totally fixed on getting there as quickly as possible and as he jumped out of his car he realised that he had someone he needed to call.

"Hand her over." Peter said as he opened he door on the back seat, Simon barley had to do any work because Peter had pulled Jada off his lap within seconds. "Thanks for holding her." Peter said to Simon, giving him the very best version of a smile as he good because he wanted his son to know he'd done a good job. Peter rested Jada's head on his shoulder as they began to walk and then he heard someone say a very faint,

"Daddy…"

"Jada?" Peter said, looking down and realising that she was almost fully awake again, "Thank god." Peter said, breathing a little more normally again. Jada rubbed her eyes lazily and then looked up at Peter in a very confused fashion before saying,

"Mummy."

"I know… I'm gonna call Mummy right now." Peter promised, using his free hand to go into his pocket as they walked towards the A&E entrance, Simon just followed his Dad aimlessly and kept his eyes on Jada the entire time. He too was so glad she was awake again but he still bit down on his lip as his Dad went to call Carla.

It was very clear to Simon that Carla didn't answer her phone because he saw the pained look on his Dad's face.

"Oh for god sake Carla…" Peter tutted as Jada rubbed her eyes again and as she did so, Simon saw that they now looked swollen too. "Carla… it's me… listen I don't want you to panic but I've taken Jada to A&E… She's fine but she's come up in a bit of a rash and she's really not herself… call me as soon as you get this… bye." Peter hung up the phone after leaving Carla a message and by this point they had already reached the entrance to A&E.

"Mummy…" Jada said again, her voice breaking as she obviously began to realise something wasn't quite right. Her breathing was still off and as Peter clung onto her tight Simon couldn't help but bite down on his lip once again, he wanted to say so much but he just couldn't seem to get the words out.

As his Dad spoke to the woman at the front desk and explained the situation, Simon just stood near by, still unable to speak, he couldn't understand how on earth things had gone so wrong so quickly, One minute his sister was watching television happy as anything and the next she was like this. He mentally went over a list of things that could have been wrong with his sister but couldn't seem to pick one that made sense.

"Mummy… where Mummy." Jada said before beginning to sob. Peter felt tears in his eyes as he patted Jada gently on the back. He felt completely useless, he knew Jada wanted Carla right now and as much as he understood why, Peter couldn't help but feel hurt and like he was no use to his daughter.

"Mummy's coming Jada… she's coming." Peter said nervously, dialling Carla's number again, he raised his phone to his ear as the woman on the desk opposite, handed him a clipboard with a piece of paper on and at the same time that Jada started crying even harder.

"Could you fill this form out please?" The woman said calmly, as if she didn't see how much of an emergency this was for Peter or as if she didn't see how full his hands were.

"Do I look as if I can fill out some poxy form right now?" Peter asked irritatedly, making a point of showing the woman at the desk his phone and then gently bouncing Jada up and down because she was still asking for her Mummy and she was still in tears. "What's it for? You can see she's ill can't you?"

"Well if you don't fill it out I'm afraid that means we cannot admit your daughter." The receptionist said with a raised eyebrow, used to parents like Peter who's children were the most important children in the building.

"Oh for god sake!" Peter cried, snatching the clipboard off the woman. "Si come ere n fill this thing out will ya…" Simon quickly took the clipboard off his Dad and began to fill out the basic questions that were on it. The first questions were easy enough but then he got to the address part and paused,

"Dad… what should I write for this bit? Should I put our address or the one in L.A… I don't know the one in L.A…"

"Just put ours Simon." Peter said shaking his head and kissing Jada on the check to try and comfort her because she was still in tears and asking for Carla.

"It's now asking for the name of her GP…" Simon then said which made Peter roll his eyes,

"Well we don't know the name of her GP do we?" He said shaking his head again, "Simon just hurry up will ya." Peter didn't mean to snap at Simon it was just that he was so scared about Jada he couldn't think straight.

"Jada... Mummy." Jada cried, shaking her own head and wiping her swollen eyes again. Peter took a look at Jada's piercing green eyes, the ones that were very sore and the ones that were just like her mother's. He shook his head in panic and said,

"Try not to do that love… Don't keep rubbing your eyes." Jada didn't like this request from her Dad and went to rub her eyes again as Simon staggered forward and handed the woman on the desk the half completed form. The woman at the desk looked at it with another eyebrow raised and then nodded at Simon.

"Right so do we get to see a doctor now?" Peter asked, staring at the woman who started typing on the computer that was in front of her.

"Well… there is a queue I'm afraid, If you take a seat in the children's waiting area, you will be called in due time." The receptionist said, not showing any signs of being someone who's mind could be changed.

"Are you being serious?" Peter said, looking over at the children's area and at all the children that were sat there, most of them were sitting upright and none of them looked anywhere near as ill as Jada whose eyelids were beginning to droop again. "I'm not sitting there n waiting when my daughter is getting worse by the second." Peter looked back at Jada who was breathing slowly now and now had patchy blotches all over her neck too. "Look!" He cried, pointing at her neck in horror, "She didn't have that rash when we left the house, I'm telling you she's getting worse… I mean this could be serious… she could ave measles or something... Who know's?"

"Has she had the MMR Jab?" The receptionist asked to which made Peter feel completely useless once again because he had to shrug and say,

"I don't know… I mean I guess she must ave…"

"You don't know?" The receptionist said looking slightly puzzled and she actually stopped typing by this point, Peter knew that it was a bit odd that he didn't know if Jada had had her vaccinations or not and once again came that feeling of being a failure because most Dad's would already know this information.

"Look…" He sighed, "She doesn't actually live with me, she lives with her Mum in America and they're over ere for a visit okay…" Peter said helplessly. "So I don't know if she's had her jabs n stuff."

"If she has had her MMR it's highly unlikely that she has contracted measles." The receptionist began, she looked as if she wasn't quite finished talking but Peter interrupted her and said,

"But I just told you I don't know if she's had it." He was getting angry now, Simon could tell, he edged forward a little and said a very quiet,

"Dad… should I take Jada?" Peter hesitated for a moment but then handed Jada over to Simon gently before turning back to the desk and saying, "Who's in charge ere? I wanna speak to them."

"Mr Barlow, there are a lot of people here with ill children and they are all waiting patiently…"

"I don't give a crap about any of those kids… they don't look half as ill as her." Peter said pointing at Jada who just couldn't seem to get comfortable in Simon's arms, she started to cry loudly again as Peter turned back to the desk and said, "I'm serious… get someone out ere now…"

The receptionist saw that Peter was on the verge of a breakdown so she reluctantly got up off her chair and disappeared through a door behind it, Peter looked over at Simon who was holding a sobbing Jada close and as she looked up said a heart wrenching,

"Mummy…" Peter tutted loudly and said,

"Come on Carla… call me back." He pulled his phone out of his pocket and called Carla again, there was no answer and as he left yet another message, he then saw that Simon was struggling to keep a scared Jada calm. He walked over to them and said, "Si take her over there to sit down..." He pointed over to the children's waiting area where there were a few spare chairs and where there were also some toys scattered around the place. He thought maybe sitting there around some toys might distract her for a bit.

"Okay…" Simon said nodding quickly and making his way over to the waiting area, he knew lots of people were watching him because his Dad's raised voice had made quite the scene and as he sat down with Jada on his lap, she lazily opened her eyes and said a very quiet and very sad,

"Where Mummy?"

"Mummy's coming." Simon stammered, he was so scared about his little sister's health that he still couldn't talk properly. He looked her little body up and down again, wincing at the rash that seemed to have taken over her arms, legs and neck and then he watched as his Dad waited irately at the desk for the receptionist to return and as she did, Peter rolled his eyes and said,

"So… what's happening then? Where's your boss?"

"I've explained your situation and if you sit down with your daughter, A nurse will come along in a moment and assess the situation properly." Peter took a deep breath and eventually, after staring at the receptionist for a moment, he just nodded and said a very reluctant,

"Right… thanks." He walked over to where Simon was sat with Jada on his lap, She had stopped crying for a moment mainly due to exhaustion and was sucking her thumb as her Dad stopped in front of her and said,

"The nurse is coming… apparently."

"Oh…" Simon said not sure whether to be pleased or not because although the nurse was coming, he still thought Jada probably needed a proper doctor to see to her. "What… what do you think is wrong with her Dad?"

"I…" Peter began, rubbing his forehead and shaking his head in despair. "I dunno son… She was fine wasn't she… all day she's been fine, We were only down the playground two hours ago, she was running around n chasing the pigeons, aving a great time." Peter felt a tear run down his face as Simon leant over to a nearby table and pulled a book off it, he offered it to Jada but she just shook her head and pushed it away from her saying,

"Mummy."

"She want's Carla so bad." Simon said biting his lip again and wishing that Carla was there with them, he knew she'd be okay, she'd be worried for sure, but he just imagined that Carla would have a better hold on the current situation they were in and he also knew Jada would probably be more at ease too.

"Yeah…" Peter sighed as he paced back and forward, "Me too if I'm honest…" He looked around the busy A&E unit and then said, "God where is she? Why didn't she answer her phone? She's gonna kill me y'know… She trusted me with Jada n now look… look what's happened?"

"Call the factory… maybe she's there…." Simon said gently stroking Jada's head as she sniffed again and then went to rub her sore eyes. Peter looked down at his watch and saw that it was nearly six pm, he was sure no one would be at the factory at this time but he decided he'd phone anyway and if there was no answer, he decided he was going to call his Dad instead.

Peter wiped his face as he dialled Underworlds number and just as he rose his phone to his ear, he heard someone call out,

"Peter!" He knew who it was straight away and spun around to find Carla rushing towards them. Her eyes were red and her mascara was smudged as she came closer. "Peter... Oh my god… What happened?" She cried, running straight past him and towards Simon and Jada. Her heart was pounding so much she could hear it in her ear and from the moment she stepped out of the car she came in, she had never run so fast in her life.

"I…" Peter began as Jada realised her Mum was present.

"Mummy!" Jada cried, as she burst into tears and as Carla pulled her off a slightly relived Simon's lap.

"It's okay baby…" Carla said holding as close as she possibly could. "Mummy's ere." Carla took a few deep breaths as she held Jada in her arms and just took a few moments to calm down. The entire way here she had been in tears and needed a few seconds to gather herself together before asking all the necessary questions. It was only after Jada had stopped crying that Carla stopped to take a proper look at her daughter. "What happened?" She asked, staring at her little girl in horror after seeing her blotchy arms, swollen lips and swollen eyes properly.

"Why didn't you answer your phone?" Peter asked.

"Peter it didn't even ring..." Carla said shaking her head, "It's been playing up for weeks now, since I got back ere, I literally only just heard your message like fifteen minutes ago... So? What happened?"

"I…" Peter began but then he saw his Dad walk into A&E, Ken walked towards them looking totally scared about what he might see, he walked towards Carla and Peter at the same time as a tall blonde Nurse did. "Dad?" Peter said, surprised to see him there.

"I drove Carla here." Ken said looking a little more relieved now he could see Jada, Simon got up off the seat he was on threw his arms around Ken suddenly, glad to see his Granddad had showed up because he felt like he really needed some comfort right now and he knew with his Dad and Carla being preoccupied with Jada, this was the only was he was going to get it.

"Is this Jada?" The nurse said, looking at Jada who was in Carla's arms, clinging onto her Mum for dear life.

"Yes." Carla said, turning Jada slightly so the nurse could see her properly. "Jada... say Ello to the nurse." Normally Jada would have smiled and offered up a wave but instead she quickly turned away buried her head in Carla's hair.

"Hi I'm Nurse Collins… I've been told you think your daughter might have measles." Nurse Collins said with a safe smile, one that made Simon at least feel a little reassured.

"What?" Carla said at the mention of measles. Peter rolled his eyes over at the receptionist that was back at her desk and then said to the Nurse,

"I never said she had measles, I just said it could be… I mean she's covered in a rash…"

"She's had her MMR jab Peter." Carla said, looking down at Jada's blotchy arms and studying it carefully, it was a lot like a rash she had seen once before and as the Nurse gently took hold of Jada's arm for a look, Peter said a very bitter,

"Yeah well… I wouldn't know would I?" Carla suddenly felt incredibly bad for Peter in that moment for not knowing but she knew she couldn't pay it too much mind right now because Jada was her priority. The Nurse smiled at Jada who looked slightly uncomfortable at being touched by an adult and then looked at Carla and Peter both.

"Her breathing sounds a little off." The Nurse said.

"Yeah it's been like that for a while now... at least the past half hour and she's lost consciousness a few times too." Peter said watching Jada with an extremely concerned look on his face. The Nurse nodded and took in the information as Peter then caught Carla's eye.

She stared back at him for a moment and when she eventually tore her gaze away from his, The Nurse said,

"I'd like to take Jada into one of our private rooms and get her blood pressure taken if that's okay." Carla and Peter both nodded and followed the Nurse through a door and down a hallway to one of the side rooms, Peter felt a hand grab onto his and when he looked down he saw that Carla had a tight grip on his fingers as they entered the room that had a few chairs, a load of medical supplies in and a hospital bed in the corner.

"We'll stay out here." Ken said whilst still in the hallway, also still holding onto Simon who shook his head and said,

"No... I need to come."

"You can, there's plenty of room." Nurse Collins said, holding the door open for them. Simon and Ken very quickly entered the side room as Carla let go of Peter's hand, She sat down on the bed, with Jada on her lap who seemed to had calmed down a lot since her Mum had arrived. Carla kissed her daughter lovingly on the head as Peter sat down on the bed next to them with his heart pounding so fast he felt like he was about explode.

The Nurse closed the door and then went and brought over a blood pressure machine, she smiled as she bent down in front of Jada and asked Carla and Peter,

"Does little Jada have any allergies?"

"Strawberries." Carla answered straight away, nodding because she had seen this rash on Jada just under a year ago and she was starting to think that that had to be what this rash was. The Nurse nodded as she placed the grey clip from the blood pressure machine onto one of Jada's little fingers. Nurse Collins smiled at Jada when she didn't resist and said a very warm,

"What a good girl you are Jada."

"That's what this is isn't it… it's an allergic reaction?" Carla said, as Jada sat on her lap and let Nurse Collins take her temperature with a thermometer. Peter who still looked utterly petrified just sat next to Carla watched Jada. "Hey..." Carla said nudging him, "Peter calm down okay... She's gonna be okay... I know it." Peter knew Carla was just trying to keep a brave face on, he could see how scared she was in her eyes but instead of saying that he reached out and took hold of her hand again.

Ken and Simon both saw this gesture and tried not to smirk too much at each other because as horrible as this situation currently was, It was nice to see Carla and Peter both so united.

"It certainly looks as if this is an allergic reaction..." Nurse Collins said as she took the clip off Jada's finger. "Well done Princess." She said and she actually got a very small but very cute smile of Jada then.

"How is it?" Peter asked anxiously, "Her blood pressure?"

"It's slightly high for someone her age, so we're definitely going to have to keep an eye on Jada but not to worry, this can happen with a severe allergic reaction."

It was that that Simon suddenly let go of his Granddad and stood up straight, it was then that he properly realised what was being said. No one had told him about any allergic reactions before and he felt his heart almost stop as Peter said,

"Yeah but how can it be an allergy? I mean Jada hasn't had any Strawberries… In fact she hasn't been anywhere near them."

"Are you sure?" The Nurse replied looking at Jada once more.

"Yes." Peter replied and as Carla turned to look at him he nodded and said, "Yes, I'm flamin sure, I've been with the kid all day." Carla and the nurse both looked perplexed but Simon swallowed hard when he had realised what he had accidentally done and said,

"Actually… She has."

"She has what?" Carla said turning to look at Simon with her eyes wide, Jada closed her eyes and rested her head on her Mum's shoulder whilst the Nurse and Ken just kept quiet and observed the situation.

"Had some Strawberries…" He swallowed again, almost shaking because he was slowly realising that whole this was down to him.

"What?" Peter cried shaking his head. "No she hasn't, we don't ave any strawberries in the house Simon."

"I know we don't… but I… I gave her some of that smoothie I'd bought..." Simon said nervously, he saw Carla's shocked expression and his Dad's rather angry one and said, "It… it were Strawberry n Banana… she asked for some… I didn't know she was allergic… I'm so sorry." He felt tears spurt from his eyes as he thought about the fact that he almost just killed his baby sister. "She only had a little bit... not even... half her... beaker..." Simon stuttered.

"Okay... Calm down…" The Nurse said slowly looking at Simon sympathetically as Ken put an arm around him, "All that matters is that Jada is in the right place. What I'm going to do is grab the doctor for a second opinion and then I think we're going to probably get Jada on an adrenaline drip and that should try to get her breathing sorted out and if we give her some antihistamines that should clear up the rash... Okay?"

"Okay." Carla nodded as she took a large breath, she looked at Simon who had tears running down both cheeks and tried to give him a look that said she wasn't angry at him but Simon wasn't looking at her, he was staring at his Dad, who was breathing harshly.

"I'll be right back." Nurse Collins said opening the door. Ken took a sigh of relief and tried to ease the tension by saying,

"The Nurse is right… at least Jada is in the right place now."

"You gave her some of that Smoothie?" Peter asked, getting up and off the bed as if he was still in shock and hadn't heard his son right, totally ignoring what his Dad had said and staring at Simon.

"Yes." Simon nodded slowly, he looked at Carla who was almost in tears herself and said, "I'm so sorry… I didn't know she was allergic." Carla didn't say anything as she stood up and got off the bed too handing Jada to Ken but Peter said plenty.

"Simon what on earth were you thinking?" He cried, Jada wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention to what was going on, she had her thumb in her mouth again and was staring up her Grandad, not at her Mum, Dad or Brother.

"Peter." Ken hissed, "He didn't know." He sat down on the bed with Jada as Carla ran a hand through her hair like she always did when she was in a panic or frustrated about something.

"Yes Dad but still, Simon I asked you to make Jada a sandwich n give her some fruit… where in that sentence did you hear the word smoothie?" Peter said rather spitefully, taking out all of his emotions on Simon because he simply didn't know what else to do with them. He really didn't mean to shout at his son but he had spent the past half an hour so scared that he just couldn't help it. "You can't just give little kids stuff like that… you ave to check these things Simon."

"Peter don't…" Carla begged but her plea went unnoticed as Peter said,

"Honestly Simon I cannot believe this… any of it!"

"Don't blame me!" Simon shouted, "This aint my fault, if anyone is to blame it's you n Carla, neither one of you told me Jada was allergic to Strawberries, Did they tell you Granddad?"

"No." Ken said honestly, as Jada leant against him with her eyes closed.

"See!" Simon cried as Carla nodded.

"He's right Peter... we should ave told him." Carla said knowing that she really should have told Simon all about Jada's allergy and feeling so angry at herself for not doing so.

"Yeah! So don't you dare stand there n act like this is all my fault when in reality… it's all yours!" Simon cried. Peter looked down at the ground when he saw the furiously hurt look on Simon's face and he was just about to say something when Simon let his anger get the better of him. "It was about time something like this happened anyway really…" He said slightly scared of what was going to happen to him because his Dad's head shot up now.

"What?" Peter asked, staring at Simon intently.

"Well… you were bound to screw up sometime… you always do..." Simon cried, tears pouring down his cheeks.

"Don't Simon..." Carla said shaking her head and not wanting this to go any further than it already had done. She looked at Peter who looked throughly hurt buy what Simon had just said and as she stepped towards him, She said, "Simon... maybe you should say... sorry."

"Don't bother Carla..." Peter said shaking his head, "Si's made it clear how he feels."

"Peter he's upset." Carla cried, looking over at Ken and Jada before looking back at Simon who said,

"I mean it... I really do."

"No you don't." Carla said pained.

"Simon I think you should leave the room." Peter said, wanting to get some space away from his oldest child for a moment, just to take a few deep breaths.

"No." Simon said stubbornly.

"Simon." Peter warned, getting angrier by the moment, mainly because Simon was openly defying him in front of his Dad and Carla.

"No... I won't." Simon said although he was starting to lose his nerve a bit now. Peter went to take a step forward but before he could move too far, Carla had stepped in.

"Peter!" She practically screamed and finishing off the trifecta of people in the room who had let their emotions take over, her hand went up of its own accord and it slapped Peter right across the cheek, shocking Ken, Simon and even herself.

Peter's face rocked sideways and he actually took a step backwards, shocked at what had just happened, still shocked at what Simon said, shocked at his reaction to it and shocked because Carla had just hit him.

"That is enough!" Ken hissed, looking down at Jada who was rubbing her eyes and sniffing again. "This is ridiculous… You cannot behave like this with Jada in the room."

Carla nodded at Ken and walked over to her daughter, she bent down and picked her up as Simon wiped the tears off his cheeks.

"You're right Ken." She said, then she turned to Peter and gave him a very apologetic look. "I'm sorry for hitting ya... I just needed you to calm down a bit."

Peter tried to ignore how much the slap from Carla had actually hurt and turned to Simon instead,

"Si… Look I'm sorry…"

"Don't bother..." Simon replied calmly, he took one more look at Jada and then at Carla before saying, "I'm so sorry."

"Simon stop it…" Carla began not wanting him to take the blame anymore then he already did but he shook his head and walked right out of the room that they were in.

"Simon!" Ken cried, shaking his head at Carla and Peter in shame before running out and following his Grandson.

As the door swung closed behind him there was a horrible silence, one where Carla and Jada were on one side of the room and Peter… was on the other.


	16. Collide

_**Prepare yourselves... this is a long one.**_

* * *

The atmosphere at Weatherfield General didn't get much better than it had been back at the flat. A Doctor eventually came along and She eventually agreed with the Nurse who had said Jada needed to be put on an adrenaline drip, so she was taken through to a hospital bed, which was in a shared trauma room.

She bravely sat on Carla's lap whilst the Nurse sat on a stool in front of the both of them. Peter stood nearby as the Nurse gently injected the needle into Jada's arm. He held his breath and had expected Jada to burst right into tears but she didn't, she just wriggled as if she was in a lot of distress and then put her thumb into her mouth.

"Well done baby." Carla said kissing Jada on the forehead as Peter took a quick sigh of relief, the Nurse smiled fondly at Jada who was now staring down at the unusual contraption that was now in her arm. "Leave it alone Jada." Carla said sternly, Jada knew better than to ignore her Mum's familiar tone by now so she looked back up at the Nurse.

"It's okay Mum and Dad… I think the worst is going to be over." Nurse Collins said, as she looked at a rather concerned Carla and Peter. She got up off the stool she was sat on and then said, "We'll let the drip do it's job and then we'll come back and check all of little Jada's stats… If you need anything give us a shout."

"Thank you." Carla said with a nod, kissing Jada again before gently putting her down onto the hospital bed. She gave Jada her phone to try to keep her distracted from the needle that was now sticking into her arm, it worked because Jada was already tapping away at the screen and trying to find her favourite app, oblivious that her Mum and Dad were in a state of turmoil.

"Yeah… thanks." Peter also said. The Nurse smiled at them both reassuringly and then walked over to another patient that was across from them. Carla bit her lip worriedly and looked over at Peter who was stood with his arms folded across his chest. She still felt really bad for slapping him around the face and as he stood before her she wanted to apologize again but Peter was staring down at Jada so nervously that she got up off the bed and said,

"Sit down Peter… take a load off."

"No." Peter replied shaking his head adamantly, "I'm fine ere…" Carla could tell he was being stubborn and that he was still angry and or upset about what happened so she just sighed and sat back down again. She waited a few moments and turned to look at Jada who was staring down at the phone she had in hand and then said,

"Maybe… maybe you should help your Dad find Simon."

"I'm sure he's got it covered." Peter said, sure that Simon couldn't have got far and sure that Simon probably didn't want to see him right now.

"Yeah well… He'd probably rather it were you that had run after him… you are his Dad after all."

"I realise that Carla…" Peter began with a tut but Carla interrupted him with,

"Well start acting like it Peter."

"Excuse me?" Peter said slightly taken aback, He looked at Jada who was still preoccupied with her Mum's phone to notice the growing hostility between both of her parents.

"I'm sorry Peter but you were really horrible to him just then… He's just a kid." Carla said delicately, "Imagine how he's feeling right now… being the one who gave Jada that smoothie. You should be assuring him that she's going to be okay, not arguing with the poor kid."

"You know what Carla I really don't need to hear any of this from you right now." Peter said, hating how right she was about all of this.

What he didn't know was that what she was saying was about to get worse.

"Yes you flamin do… and anyway if this situation is anyone's fault it's yours." Carla said standing up so that she wasn't having this conversation so close to Jada.

"Mine?" Peter replied plainly, his face deadpan as if he was waiting to hear what Carla was about to say before reacting properly.

"Yes you." Carla said with a nod, knowing she was about to tread on dangerous waters with her next comment but going ahead with it anyway because she felt as if Peter needed taking down a peg or two. "I left Jada with you today… not Simon, you should ave been there… you should ave been watching them both."

"Carla I bloody left Simon with her for five minutes whilst I was in the shower, Whilst I was getting ready for the meal that we were all going to go out on… in case you hadn't noticed." Peter said angrily although his voice was slightly hushed because there were many people in the trauma room with them and it was becoming all to clear that the parents of the little brunette girl in bed number four were in the middle of what was going to be another argument.

Carla took a look at Peter properly now, he was stood before her in a pair of smart black trousers and a white shirt, it was the first time she had noticed his outfit and the first time over the past hour or so that she'd even remembered the meal that Peter had suggested going on to make up for the uncomfortable atmosphere they'd been in for a bit this week.

Carla couldn't help but let a tear run down her cheek as she looked over at their daughter and as she thought about what they should have been doing tonight.

Right now they should be with Simon sat in some posh Italian restaurant somewhere waiting for their meals to come out with some fancy drinks, where they shouldn't be was sat in a hospital with Simon missing and with little Jada on a drip.

When Carla finally and bravely let her gaze return to Peter she saw that he was obviously hurt by how she'd blamed him for the state Jada was in and as she cleared her throat she said,

"Peter… I…" She shook her head as Peter looked down at Jada again.

"I… don't know how any of this happened." He said almost in tears, "But y'know what… you're right… this whole situation is down to me."

"Peter I didn't mean…" Carla began but Peter was shaking his head so adamantly that she knew it was too late, there was no changing his mind now.

"Yes you did." He said with a nod, "You meant every word… and so did Simon… he's right, I were bound to screw up at some point and I did. Hey it's no wonder you n Jada are so desperate to leave right after her birthday."

"Peter it's not like that, we're not desperate…" Carla started, with more tears in her eyes but once again she found herself being interrupted by an almost inconsolable Peter.

"Yes you are… course you are, look at me? I'm a mess… besides, you've already mentioned that you're both leaving a lot this week…" Peter said, remembering all the times Carla had happened to mention that she and Jada would soon be going back to L.A.

She hadn't actually done it to be spiteful or even because she really wanted to go back there but because she had decided that it was probably better that they started talking about the fact that she and Jada had L.A waiting for them.

She decided ignoring the thought of it was getting her nowhere and that if she didn't start talking about going "home" soon, it wouldn't seem real.

She hadn't meant for Peter to take it the way he so clearly had and as he stood in front of her with tears in his endearing brown eyes, Carla could barley stand it. She nodded in the direction away from Jada's bed and walked away a little so that they weren't stood so close that she or anyone else could hear but close enough for Jada to feel like they were still there.

"Peter… you're taking this all wrong, I've only been talking about going back to California because it's happening, it's happening and it's happening soon, Not talking about it was starting to drive me insane…"

"Yeah well talking about it isn't exactly a picnic in the park for me Carla, I mean d'ya think that I want to be reminded that I'm going to be without my daughter in a few weeks." Peter replied dryly, trying to act as if he wasn't on the verge of a whole lot of tears.

"Well I'm sorry Peter but guess flaming what?" Carla hissed, "This isn't just about you y'know, I mean you keep talking about how hard this is all going to be on you, how _you're_ going to feel when Jada leaves n how much you're going to miss her but what about me? I ave to leave you… Once again I've gotta get on a plane with our baby and travel thousands of miles away from you." Carla had tears pouring down her cheeks as Peter stared at her in awe.

She sniffed hard as Peter moved slowly towards her and for one small but defining moment it felt as if they were the only two people in the room.

It felt as if they were totally alone and had they have been, maybe something more than conversation would be happening right now.

"Carla… that's what's so heart wrenching about this whole situation… You don't ave to do anything… you don't ave to go…" Peter croaked.

"Yes… I do." Carla said trying her best to sound firm and assure of herself but she knew she was fooling absolutely no one here, not even herself.

"No…" Peter said shaking his head and reaching out to try and take her hand but as he did so he heard a very small but very adorable voice say,

"Daddy come Jada."

Just as quickly as they had moved towards each other, Carla and Peter moved apart.

They both looked over at Jada who was staring down at Carla's phone and had somehow made it onto her photo album, on screen was a picture of Peter looking half annoyed and half amused that Carla had taken at the park one day last week.

Peter and Jada had both sat on the large tunnel slide together and as it had been a very raining afternoon, the bottom of the slide was completely soaking. Of course by the time Peter and Jada had found out, it was too late and Peter ended up a very wet bottom. Carla had found it totally hilarious and so had Jada, they both ended up in fits of laughter and Carla even ended up taking a picture of Peter's surprised expression.

Jada was clearly enjoying the thought of that memory cause she chuckled down at the picture and said,

"Daddy come see."

"What is it Jada?" Peter said in a cheery voice, letting out a little laugh as he approached Jada's bed.

Since arriving at the hospital earlier on in the evening, she hadn't really wanted much to do with him but now she was calling his name and showing some interest, Peter wasn't going to let that moment pass him by… no matter how powerful of a moment he was having with Carla.

"Sit down Daddy." Jada said looking up at her Dad lovingly and also looking a little more like her old self.

She was still blotchy and her eyes and lips were still swollen but all in all, she looked pretty happy and all Peter could think about in that moment was how glad he was that Jada hadn't cottoned on to the rather tempestuous conversation he had just been having with her mother.

As Peter sat down on the bed next to Jada, Carla took a deep breath and ran a hand through her hair. The deep breath she took didn't really do all too much for her and as she watched Peter gently pull Jada onto her lap she knew she need to get out of the room for a moment.

She very quickly turned around and walked towards the exit of the trauma room, leaving Peter and Jada on her phone. As she walked down the corridor and towards the actual hospital exit, which led to the car park, she had thought about maybe helping Ken look for Simon but sure enough, they were slowly walking towards her.

"Simon…" Carla said, relieved as he sheepishly approached her with his Granddad holding onto him by the shoulders.

"Sorry for all that..." Simon said a little ashamedly, "I didn't mean to cause a scene."

"No." Carla said, taking hold of Simon and pulling him towards her, before he could do anything about it she had kissed him on the head and had her arms wrapped right around him. "None of this is your fault kid, none of it. You were so right in that room, Me n your Dad should ave told you about Jada's allergy, it's one hundred per cent our fault."

"See." Ken said with a knowing smile. "I told you Carla doesn't blame you." Carla shook her head at Simon in a way that showed him she really didn't blame him for what happened and it was then that she realised what Simon had in hand.

"Simba." Simon said self-consciously, holding Simba up in the air. "I just grabbed him before we left earlier, I thought Jada would want him."

"Oh Simon." Carla said, pulling him in for another hug and kiss. Simon hugged her back as hard as he could, not understanding how he could have ever hated Carla because now he felt as if he actually loved her… a lot. "You… you are such a good big brother, Jada is going to be so ecstatic when she sees that you ave brought Simba along." Simon smiled modestly as Carla let him go and it was then that Ken said,

"Simon why don't you go along and give that to your little sister, whilst I talk to Carla for a moment?"

"Okay…" Simon said nervously, thinking about his Dad and what he'd said to him earlier. "Where do I go?"

"It's down the hallway and to the left, you won't miss it Si, you'll be able to see Jada n your Dad through the window." Carla pointed but Simon still looked apprehensive about going to see his Dad alone, so in the end Ken smiled and said,

"You know what, me n Carla's chat can wait, Come on." Carla nodded and began walking along the hallway with Ken and Simon, she was very intrigued as to what Ken wanted to talk to her about but she knew she wasn't about to ask too many questions and as they walked through the doors to the left, She felt Simon grab hold of her hand. Carla looked down at it lovingly and gave it a quick and supportive squeeze.

"Simba!" Jada cried as soon as she clapped eyes on her most beloved possession. She raised both her hands up in the air as Simon walked gingerly towards her with Simba in his hands.

"Wow…" Peter said to Jada as Simon handed over Simba to her. Jada kissed Simba on the head three times before pointing him towards her arm, then she almost rolled her eyes in a comical fashion and said,

"Jada sick Simba." There and then she made her Mother, Father, Brother and Grandfather all laugh and for a moment it seemed like everything was going to be all right.

Peter looked at Simon and then looked down at how his hand was tightly clasped with Carla's and then gave him a sad smile,

"We should talk son." Peter said as Jada kissed Simba again and as Carla said,

"Jada say thank you to Simon for bringing Simba."

"Thank you Simon!" Jada cried and she put up her arms in the air, in the way that she always did when she wanted a quick hug and kiss from someone. Simon let go of Carla's hand and leant down so he could reach his little sister.

Ken, Peter and Carla all smiled warmly at the sight of a tiny Jada squeeze her big brother with all her might.

"Be careful." Simon said worriedly, looking at the drip that ran from Jada's arm and up to a bag with some clear liquid in.

"She's okay." Carla said, sitting down on the edge of Jada's bed. She looked between Peter and then said, "So… I reckon you two should talk."

"Only if Si wants to." Peter said to which Simon very bluntly replied with,

"I don't."

"Simon…" Ken began, shaking his head at his Grandson's stubbornness.

"No Dad… it's fine." Peter said, "If he doesn't want to talk he doesn't ave to." Carla looked at Simon who was staring down at Jada and then looked up at Ken who was stood by the bed.

"Ken do ya wanna come with me n get some drinks in?"

"That sounds like a very good idea." Ken said as Carla got up off Jada's bed, Simon shot her a rather pained look but as Jada and Peter began looking down at her phone again, Carla pulled Simon aside and said,

"Look Simon, I know you're worried about what you said but please just talk to your Dad…"

"But…"

"If you don't do it for yourself… do it for Jada." Carla said pointing at Jada and sighing, "Do it for your little sister… She needs her Dad n her most favourite big brother to be talking. " Simon rolled his eyes at Carla and shook his head saying,

"I'm her only big brother."

"Well that's all the more reason aint it?" Carla grinned. Simon nodded at her and as she and Ken walked towards the doors to the trauma room he stood awkwardly beside the bed.

He stood there until his Dad sighed and said,

"You can sit down ya know."

"Yeah… I know." Simon said quietly, he waited for a few moments and then eventually sat down on the end of the bed his Dad and Jada were sat on.

There was a few moments of silence between the three until Peter looked at Simba and said,

"So… where did you get Simba from?"

"Your car." Simon said, going into his pocket and pulling out his Dad's car keys. "You handed me these earlier… n I'd grabbed Simba before we left. I thought Jada might need him…"

"Good thinking." Peter nodded as Jada squeezed Simba tightly underneath her arm. Peter knew he had to work quick if he didn't want the silence between him and his son to return so he cleared his throat and then said, "Simon… I don't blame you for today."

"Yes you do."

"No Si, I don't." Peter said shaking his head, "I honestly don't, I think deep down I knew this was my fault, the anger that I should ave been directing at meself was aimed at you instead and for that I am truly, deeply sorry." Simon shuffled on the bed in front of his Dad and Jada and for a moment, Peter thought his son wasn't going to respond to his apology but then Simon looked down at his shaking hands and said,

"I'm sorry too… for what I said."

"No." Peter very quickly replied, He shook his head and gestured for Simon to come closer to him. "You don't ave to apologise to me because ultimately, you're right. I was bound to screw up at some point. I don't blame you for what you said because that's been your life since you can probably ever remember, me messing stuff up. Ruining things for ya… I only asked ya to leave the room because what you had said had made me want to burst right into tears and I didn't want ya to see me cry."

"Dad… I were out of order." Simon said with tears in his eyes, "I just wanted to hurt you because I were so upset at making Jada ill. I didn't mean what I said… Over the past few years you've really changed, everyone knows that. You don't drink anymore and you've not let me down in the longest time… I was wrong to bring up the past and I hope you forgive me."

"Simon Barlow you ave done nothing to be forgive for." Peter said earnestly, "And you did not make your little sister ill. It were just a freak accident and she's going to be okay… look at her." Simon smiled at his looked down at Jada who was sitting with her thumb in her slightly swollen mouth.

"She looks a bit better." Simon said astonished because it actually looked as if the drip Jada was on was doing it's job. Her eyes and lips had gone down a lot since they'd first arrived at the hospital and even though she was still covered in a rash she looked a lot brighter than she had done earlier.

"Doesn't she just… Soon, Me, You, Jada n Carla will all be home and this will just be a bad memory." Peter said with a smile. Simon nodded at his Dad and put his arm around him, glad that they had seemed to have, patched things up for now.

Meanwhile, Ken and Carla were on their way back from your standard hospital vending machine with Hot Drinks for the adults and a carton of Apple Juice for the little one. They'd also purchased a few packets of crisps and biscuits and as they walked back to the trauma centre, Carla sighed and said,

"We should all be in some fancy restaurant right now… not ere."

"I did wonder why Peter was so dressed up." Ken said with a light chuckle, then his face went serious and he said, "So… whilst I was gone… how was things with Peter?"

"Erm…" Carla began, holding her cup of coffee and Jada's juice in her hands. "It were emotional… I'll say that much."

"Well I don't blame you both." Ken said nodding his head, "Nothing can prepare a parent for a child being seriously ill… it takes it's toll."

"It sure does." Carla said with a tired sigh.

"Now I know it's going to sound as if I'm just making excuses for Peter here but I really don't want you to blame him for the way he's reacted tonight." Ken said, Carla didn't say anything to this and waited for Ken to continue because she knew he was about to anyway. "Peter wasn't around when Simon was Jada's age… he's never really experienced anything like this before…"

"What about the fire he had in his flat? Or when Simon drunk that bottle of wine?" Carla replied smartly but Ken shook his head and said,

"It's not the same. Both of those situations were ultimately his fault, Peter knows that and he took the full brunt of it but this, this time he didn't know where to place his blame, it unnerved him and unfortunately it went to Simon, unfortunately in resulted in the pair of you arguing as well and whilst I'd completely understand if you did, I really don't want you to let this impact on any… decisions that you might make for the future."

Carla stopped walking then because she knew what Ken was getting at. She knew he was imagining that she might not want to stay for much longer after this and as he looked at her, she said,

"Look Ken… tonight's been a nightmare. I don't entirely blame Peter for the way he reacted to certain situations but I also think he should be able to manage his emotions a little better."

"Really? Are we talking about the same Peter Barlow here?" Ken replied, staring at Carla with a slight smirk.

"Yeah… I realise he's not exactly known for releasing his emotions in the right way…" Carla replied, shaking her head and sighing as they stopped outside the trauma room.

"You can say that again." Ken said looking slightly amused, then his face went serious again and he said, "I keep imagining Peter and Simon walking in and finding Jada in that way."

"Yeah well it's happened to me before Ken, I've walked into a room to find my little girl drifting in and out of consciousness, covered in a rash… it's utterly earth shattering." Carla sighed.

"You… are much stronger than Peter is though Carla." Ken said smiling at Carla admiringly, "And I know that's not the point, I realise that there are many ways that today could have been handled better, but he's trying… he really really is."

"I know… I really do… and he's a good Father to Jada and Simon." Carla nodded, looking down at the cup of coffee she had in hand, she raised it to her lips as Ken smiled again and said,

"He is and you are an outstanding mother… I hope you know that." Carla couldn't help but give Ken a modest grin and say,

"Come on… Let's go in." She then used her elbow to push the door open and when she and Ken walked back into the trauma room, they found Simon, Peter and Jada all curled up together on the bed. Jada was still sat on her Dad's lap but Simon was squashed against them.

Carla and Ken grinned at the sight before them and walked towards the bed.

"Coffee…" Ken said, holding the cup towards Peter. He leant forward and took it off his Dad as Carla walked around the bed and said,

"Jada… Mummy got you some juice." Carla sat down on the bed and as Peter passed Jada over to her, she gave him a fond smile and decided that she would try her hardest not to argue with him again.

* * *

Jada ended up having to spend the night in the hospital for observation, after her drip had finished, Nurse Collins had returned to take her blood pressure and temperature, both of which were still high.

Jada was then transferred up to the Children's ward where a very pleasant doctor explained that they just wanted to keep Jada in for observation and that she would probably be fine in the morning.

The Doctor made a very worried Carla and Peter feel at ease and even let Ken and Simon stay past visiting hours, until a very tired Jada had begun to fall asleep.

"We should probably get going." Ken whispered to Simon, looking at Jada whose eye lids were beginning to droop. Simon reluctantly got up off the end of the bed where he had been sat and decided he wouldn't even bother trying to stay because he'd already had this conversation with his Dad who had said a very firm and solid No.

Simon knew his Dad was dealing with a lot right now what with Jada being ill and the state of his relationship with Carla being so touchy at the moment, so he decided not to rock the boat and ask to stay one more time.

He and Ken had both watched as one minute Carla and Peter were looking at each other with eyes full of love but the next they were full of something else, something else that Simon just couldn't put his finger on.

Ken however, had seen this look in Carla and Peter's eyes before and as he got up off the chair he looked down at Jada and knew that she was the only thing keeping her parents from giving into to that dangerous look in each other's eyes.

"Thanks so much for driving me ere Ken." Carla said, she was sat on the bed with Jada in her arms and as Ken leant towards her for a hug she gave him a soft kiss on the cheek.

"No problem." Ken said, he looked down at an almost asleep Jada and said, "I'll be back tomorrow."

"Yeah… Me too." Simon nodded, bending over the bed and giving Jada a tiny kiss on the forehead, he then leant in and kissed Carla too, which Peter watched from the armchair he was sat on.

"You might not need to." Carla said hopefully, "Who knows, Jada's BP might ave gone down by then."

"Fingers crossed." Peter said with a nod, also feeling hopeful that this time tomorrow they'd be at home once again.

"Well if not, we'll be here." Ken said, he'd walked around the bed and gave his son a hug before looking at Simon and saying, "Come on then you… let's go home."

"Bye Simon." Carla and Peter had both said in unison and as Simon waved goodbye he said a very heartfelt,

"Bye." He left Jada's room along with his Granddad and left Carla and Peter alone with their little girl.

She was properly asleep within minutes and as Carla gently laid her down onto the bed, Peter got up off the armchair and said,

"Do ya want another coffee?"

"No ta." Carla replied. Jada was now lying next to her peacefully with Simba tucked underneath one of her little arms. Carla was staring down at her in a way that Peter didn't want to disturb so he just nodded and walked into the hallway of the children's ward.

He couldn't explain the affect today had had on him all he knew was that he felt like all of his emotions were totally and completely beyond his control.

Carla felt the same way, she felt as if one moment she wanted to burst into tears and the next she wanted to lash out.

Neither one of them knew how to quite take the other when they were feeling like this which resulted in a rather tense night for them both.

Jada being fast asleep when Ken and Simon left had meant that Carla and Peter both had nothing to distract them from each other.

There was a lot they could both talk about whilst sat there like that.

There was a lot that they both wanted to talk about but they simply couldn't get the words out.

There was also a lot of lingering looks and long silences that made Carla and Peter both take deep breaths and as the night went on, it only got worse.

Carla ended up sleeping on the bed with Jada even though she had been told she was not allowed and Peter slept on the armchair next door even though a mattress had been provided to put on the floor next to Jada's bed.

Every two hours someone came in to check on Jada which included waking her and her parents up.

This meant that their sleep was interrupted and by the time morning came, the hospital was left with three very grumpy members of the Barlow family.

Carla awoke first and when she opened her eyes properly she saw that Peter was now sleeping with his head rested on the side of the bed, he had one of his hands entwined with one of Jada's. She smiled down at them both and knew that they both must have woken up at one point because the last time she had looked, they weren't in that adorable position.

Carla yawned and stretched out her arms as her phone began ringing, when she scrambled into her bag and pulled it out she saw that it was Michelle.

She answered it to find that Michelle had travelled to the hospital and that she was already outside to visit Jada.

She had received a text message from Carla the night before but it only had the vital bits of information in and Michelle knew that after a night in hospital with Peter, Carla would have a lot more to tell her about it all.

Carla stood up and took one more look at Peter and Jada who were still in a deep slumber and said with a whisper,

"I'll be right out Chelle." It didn't take Carla more than a few minutes to go downstairs and to swiftly exit the hospital, She found Michelle stood outside clutching a pink Get Well Soon balloon that was tied to a purple ribbon.

"Hey…" Michelle said sympathetically as Carla flew into her arms. "How is she?"

"She's alright…" Carla began, holding onto Michelle's hand tightly as they began walking into the hospital. "Her blood pressure is still quite high, well it were the last time they checked which were about six am."

"Six?" Michelle cried as she and Carla walked through the fairly empty hospital. It was now eight thirty am so there weren't too many people about yet and as they passed a coffee shop, Carla nodded and said,

"Yep… How about we head in ere for a coffee? Visiting doesn't start until nine away so they won't let you in." Michelle nodded and after they'd purchased coffees and as sank down into some large armchairs, Michelle shook her head at Carla and said,

"You look knackered love."

"I feel knackered. They kept coming in every few hours n waking us up." Carla said and practically on cue she yawned.

"How's Peter coping with all of this?" Michelle asked with an eyebrow raised.

"At first, terribly. He and Simon… and Me for that matter had this argument… it weren't pretty." Carla said before taking a sip of coffee. "I ended up slapping him around the face it got so bad."

"Ouch." Michelle said wincing, she had been on the receiving end of one of Carla's slaps before and she knew how much they hurt. "So how are things now then?" Michelle asked.

"Well…" Carla shrugged, "I mean one minute me n Peter are fine the next… we're bickering like there's no tomorrow."

"Really?" Michelle asked as she took a large sip of her own coffee.

"Yeah… and it's getting worse by the minute Chelle, The only reason we aint had some sort of row this morning is because the man is still fast asleep."

"Oh come on…" Michelle said shaking her head, "Surely it can't be that bad."

"You wanna bet?" Carla asked, "Just wait n see what it's like when you come up later."

Carla and Michelle stayed in the coffee shop until nine am and sure enough, it only took Carla and Peter fifteen or so minutes to have another disagreement.

It came when an orderly came along to ask what Jada might like to eat once she had woken up.

Michelle watched as they both argued about what Jada should eat for breakfast and when finally, Peter rolled his eyes and stormed out of the room, Carla turned to her best friend and said,

"See. I told you." Michelle nodded at Carla who sighed a hefty sigh and said, "I swear that man is drivin me insane..." Carla's hand went on her hips as she then added. "I could so give him another slap right now."

"Or something else…" Michelle smirked. Carla raised an eyebrow and tried her hardest not to let Michelle know that she was thinking the same thing as she sat down on the bed and gently touched her daughter's hand. "Oh she looks so little in there." Michelle said, deciding to change the subject from Peter because she knew that Carla was never going to be honest about the sudden desire she was so obviously feeling for him.

"Doesn't she…" Carla said sadly. Jada was still asleep at this point but not for much longer, she awoke and at first looked rather frightened of her surroundings, as if she had forgotten where she was but as soon as she saw her Mum sat beside her, she smiled tiredly and raised her arms for a cuddle.

"Hi Jada darlin." Michelle said with a smile, she pulled the balloon over to Jada's bed and down to her level so she could see it.

"Wow… look what Auntie Chelle has brought ya." Carla said excitedly, Jada beamed happily up at her balloon and as she raised her arms in the air to try and catch it, she said,

"Thank you Auntie Chelle."

"Aww you're welcome darlin." Michelle smiled, she sat down on the armchair next to the bed, it was only when Carla actually pulled Jada from out of the blankets, that Michelle took a proper look at Jada. "Oh the poor thing." Michelle said when she saw Jada's rash.

"I know." Carla said pouting at her daughter who seemed un-phased by her currently red and blotchy skin. "It were a hell of a lot worse yesterday though." Carla said, "It's just a part of the reaction, the Nurse said it should go down in a few days."

"Let's hope so eh? It's your birthday soon isn't it Jada." Michelle said, leaning forward and tickling Jada in the tummy. Jada squealed as Michelle tickled her and then crawled across her Mum so she could have a little cuddle on Michelle's lap instead.

Carla smiled as Michelle held Jada on her lap and as she leant back on the bed she said,

"Uh I could totally just fall asleep right ere y'know."

"Well why don't ya?" Michelle said, leaning forward and picking up Simba off the bed so Jada could hold him, along with the balloon ribbon that she still had hold of. "I'll watch Jada for ya."

"Doubt the nurses would take to kindly to a grown woman sleeping in a kids bed." Carla said yawning and shaking her head. Michelle smiled at then looked as if she suddenly remembered something.

"Oh… I meant to tell ya, Nick sends his love." She grinned,

"Eh?" Carla asked, sitting up properly and staring at Michelle.

"Yeah, bless him, He saw me with the balloon earlier and asked who it was for… so I told him." Michelle said smiling down at Jada who was trying to pull the balloon back down to her level.

"Oh right…" Carla replied uneasily.

"Anyways he looked dead concerned and said he were worried about Jada, he asked me to send you n her his love…" Michelle laughed as the door opened and as Ken and Peter entered, although Michelle hadn't noticed and continued to talk, "Notice how he said you and Jada… not just Jada." She laughed, not reading Carla's expression or hearing her say,

"Chelle…"

"I'm telling you Carla, Nick Tilsley so has the hots for you." Michelle said but then she realised that Peter and his Dad were also in the room. "Oh… Hiya… Ken." Carla shut her eyes at Michelle's comment and didn't event want to look at Peter's face at this point because she knew what he'd look like.

She already knew he wouldn't be best pleased to hear Michelle talking about Nick in that way and when she opened her eyes she saw that Peter was stood with his arms folded.

Carla and Peter's day didn't get much better, there were a few very pleasant moments but due to the fact that they were both still on edge and worried about Jada, they were still in an odd mood with each other.

At around two pm, another doctor came along to check on Jada and they found that once again her blood pressure was still pretty high.

"I'm afraid until it goes down and stays down, we shall have to keep her here." The Doctor said, much to Carla and Peter's distress.

They were both so hoping that Jada had been doing better so that they could get out of the four walls of the hospital.

They both sighed and then yawned simultaneously as the doctor left the room and as Michelle got up to let an exhausted Peter sit down, Carla turned to him and said,

"Why don't you head home?" She asked Peter this because he looked so shattered but of course, he took it the wrong way, he took it to mean that Carla didn't want him there or to mean that she thought they didn't need him around when really she was just thinking of him.

"What?" He asked, almost in shock. "Why would I want to do that?"

"Because… we've practically been up for twenty four hours… you must be exhausted… you look exhausted."

"Yeah well so do you." Peter replied, "You're in the same boat as me but I don't see you jumping up off the bed and heading home."

"Peter…" Carla sighed but he was already shaking his head,

"No. I'm not going home n leaving you ere. I'm not having Jada thinking I don't care." Peter said stubbornly.

"Peter's she's a toddler she won't think anything of the sort." Carla said but Peter was still having none of it.

"I'm not going anywhere Carla... but if you wanna go, feel free." Peter said although he knew he was no good to his daughter when he was in this mood.

Michelle looked at Carla who was standing frustratedly before Peter with gritted teeth and then said,

"Look why don't you both go?"

"What?" Came Carla and Peter's reply, both at the same time, both so in sync that Ken and Michelle both exchanged an amused look.

"Both of you, go. Go n get some fresh air, have a shower or something… get a change of clothes… just get out of this hospital for a bit. Anyone can see it's driving the pair of you batty." Michelle said.

"We can't leave Jada." Carla started but as she looked at her daughter who was happily sat with her colouring book on her lap, she knew that she'd probably be alright for an hour or so.

"She'll be fine." Michelle said, "Look at her, she'd probably enjoy the piece n quiet."

"I know we would." Ken added with a raised eyebrow. He had already warned Carla and Peter about their bickering in front of Jada and he'd had enough of them both trying to wind each other up.

"Charming." Peter said rolling his eyes. He looked at Carla who had her arms folded and then said, "What do ya reckon… should we go?"

Carla looked at Peter and bit her lip as she imagined getting in a car with him and going all the way back to his place.

It was only a ten minute or so drive but Carla felt like it could feel like hours if they carried on in this way.

She then looked at Michelle, who nodded and said,

"I'm not taking no for an answer to be honest." Ken nodded along with Michelle and looked at Peter and Carla in a way that made them both scared to disobey him.

"Fine." Carla said, picking up her jacket off the armchair when she had hung it last night. "But only so we can ave a shower n get changed n stuff, we'll only be gone an hour… tops."

"Take your time." Michelle said, "Honestly, we'll give ya both a call if we need ya."

"Make sure ya do." Peter said as he pulled his own coat on. He looked at his Dad who nodded at him.

"Oh god." Carla said shaking her head at the thought of leaving her little girl behind. She bent down and gave Jada a little kiss before saying, "Mummy and Daddy will be right back okay baby."

"Yeah… we're gonna go n buy Jada some sweeties." Peter said, when Carla stood up right and when it was his turn to say goodbye.

"Jada want milkybar." Jada said, smiling at the thought of her newest favourite chocolate, one they didn't sell back in L.A and one that she had had rather a lot of since being in the U.K again.

"As long as you're a good girl." Carla said waving at her one more time, she turned to Michelle and Ken and said, "Call us… if anything happens."

"Yeah and we mean anything." Peter said as they approached the door to Jada's room.

"We will." Ken and Michelle both replied. Peter swallowed hard as Carla waved once again and as Peter opened the door she said,

"Bye bye… we won't be long."

"Oh just go will ya." Michelle said rolling her eyes.

* * *

Carla and Peter were both back in Weatherfield within fifteen minutes. Their journey was spent mostly in silence due to the fact that they were so tired.

Peter had turned the radio to try and ease the tension between him and Carla but somehow it had only made things worse.

He was trying his hardest to ignore the fact that he had walked in on Michelle and Carla talking about Nick but as he parked his car and as Nick just so happened to be walking past the Second Hand Shop, he couldn't help but tut loudly.

"Oh this is just what we need." He said with a sigh. Carla rolled her eyes at him and as she got out the car she called,

"Nick!" Nick turned around, surprised to hear Carla's voice because he had assumed she would have been at the hospital. Peter, who had also got out the car just walked towards his front door and began opening it as Carla said, "Thanks for sending your love earlier…"

"Oh don't worry about it." Nick said with a friendly smile, he was more than aware that an rather irritated Peter was stood only a few feet away and for once he didn't want to anything to make the situation worse because he could only imagine how hard it must be to have an ill child. "How is she?"

"She's okay, It's just an allergy, they just want to keep her in for observation." Carla said as Peter tutted once again. He rolled his eyes one more time and then just went into his flat without even waiting for Carla to follow him.

"Good…" Nick nodded slowly, he looked over at the door Peter had left ajar and Carla did too.

"I better go… but thanks again." She said with a quick nod, she turned on her heel and walked towards the door that Peter had left open for her.

She walked up the stairs and found him stood by his kitchen with his hands stuffed in his pocket.

"What?" She asked with a shrug.

"You did that on purpose." Peter said as she closed the door behind her.

"Did what?" Carla cried.

"Spoke to Nick… you knew it would annoy me." Peter said, not giving a toss at how foolish he sounded right now.

"I spoke to him because earlier he told Michelle he were worried about Jada… all I did was say thank you." Carla said pulling off her leather jacket. "You should be happy he's showing concern for our kid." She practically slammed it down on the dining room chair and as she did so Peter let out a sarcastic laugh. "What?" Carla cried once again, not liking the look on his face at all.

"Y'know what… I can't even get into this right now." Peter said shaking his head and taking his hands out of his pockets.

It was as if they just realised that they were suddenly alone because they both looked around them and then back at each other with wide eyes.

"Good." Carla replied bluntly, almost breathing rigidly as if she was trying her hardest to control herself. "Because I swear my patience for you is almost done right now Peter."

There was a moment of silence where a frustrated Peter and Carla both stood before each other with their arms folded, as if they let them free they might act as if they had minds of their own.

They were both totally unsure of the other's next move.

Peter unfolded his first and had his eyes fixated on Carla's collar bone area, where he could see just how intense her breathing had become over the past few minutes.

"We ave to stop this." Peter said shaking his head, "We can't carry on in this way… all the arguing… it's gotta stop really."

"I know." Carla nodded, still unsure of what to do next because all her instincts were telling her something different than the desire that was burning deep in her heart.

"So… let's just get changed n then… go back to the hospital yeah?" Peter said trying to act calmly.

"Yeah." Carla nodded gently.

"So… do you want the first shower?" He asked, wondering if a shower would maybe calm her down.

"No." Carla said, shaking her head and trying not to think too much of the image of Peter being in the shower.

"You sure?" Peter asked stepping towards her slowly.

All his instincts were telling him to go the other way but after all the arguing and squabbling that they had done over the past twenty hours or so he knew there was probably only a few ways this tension could be properly defused.

"I… I just said so didn't I?" Carla replied, she tried to remain strong but her body disobeyed her and before she could even stop herself she suddenly had a very firm and tight grasp on Peter's shirt.

"Fine." He nodded slowly, taking a deep breath before putting both hands on Carla's hips which seemed to be swaying towards Peter's of their own accord.

Their foreheads were now rested against each other's and as both of their breathing intensified, Carla managed to get out a rather sultry,

"I thought you… were going in the shower?"

"I am." Peter nodded, pulling Carla's hips towards him, not that they had much more space to go before they were right against his. "Afterwards."

With that… their lips collided in a way that neither one of them could ever have prepared themselves for.

Suddenly they weren't so tired anymore, suddenly... they had all the energy in the world.

Peter had totally control of the bottom half of Carla's body and had her sat on the dining table within a matter of moments.

When he had placed her on there, he'd sent a few plates and some of Simon's school books crashing to the ground but as their passionate kiss deepened, this didn't bother Carla or Peter in the slightest.

They both knew this probably shouldn't be happening.

They both knew that right now they should be rushing so they could get back for their daughter.

They both knew that in the long run, this would probably complicate things… a lot but in the short run, they felt as if this had to happen, they had to get this tension sorted out somehow and as Peter's hand roamed through her long hair, Carla couldn't think of any better way to do so.

She was tugging impatiently at his shirt as he powerfully kissed her and ran a hand down her back.

"Peter…" She breathed when their lips parted for some air. He stopped what he was doing and for one devastating moment, he thought she was about to stop whatever this heated moment was and say it was a mistake.

"What is it?" He asked, staring at her intently as she sat before him with both legs either side of his body.

Carla licked her lips slightly as she took a hand and placed it on the back of his neck before irresistibly saying,

"Peter... take me to bed." With one very smooth motion, Peter had Carla's legs wrapped tightly around his waist and carted her off to his bedroom.


	17. Normal

_**Keep those reviews coming... I love em.**_

* * *

It took a few moments for Carla to actually realise where, why and how she was waking up.

She opened her eyes and at first, she just sighed and rolled onto her side.

For one tiny and crazy moment she had forgotten about all the events that had got her where she was right now.

Then she remembered.

Then her eyes shot wide open and she sat up.

She was wearing only her bra but someone had obviously covered the rest of her body up with a blanket.

Not someone… him.

Peter.

Carla bit her lip as her eyes travelled over the clothes that she and him had been wearing earlier on today. Carla's clothes lay scattered on the floor in different places around the room along with Peter's and as she reached down to her knickers, she could hear the sound of the shower coming from the bathroom.

Carla pulled her knickers back on and then got up and out of bed. With a stretch of her arms, she took a look at Peter's bedside cabinet, which had a clock on it and when she saw the actual time, she realised that she must have been asleep a lot longer than she had realised.

It was now almost six thirty pm, which meant Carla and Peter had been home for almost four hours.

She bent down and then picked up the shirt that Peter had previously been wearing before and put it on before walking out of the bedroom... Their old bedroom.

The one where Peter had practically burst through the door with her legs and arms wrapped around his neck and waist.

The one where he had gently placed her on their old bed and the one where they both worked slowly in undressing each other.

Carla had never planned on going back into that room with Peter in the way that they both did earlier on today and as she walked over to where she had left her jacket, she shook her head in disbelief… although she had a rather mischievous grin on her face as she did so because... well, it had been a while.

She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out her phone to see if there were any messages on there from Michelle about Jada.

There were none so Carla decided she'd call Michelle instead because she was sure that Michelle wouldn't want to bother her and probably wouldn't want to call her and Peter unless it was absolutely necessary. As Carla pressed the call icon on screen, she took herself over to the sofa and sat down on it gingerly.

"Ello Carla…" Michelle said as she answered the phone and she sounded as if she had been expecting this call for a while now.

"Hiya Chelle… everything alright? How's Jada?" Carla asked trying to sound casual about things and it was then that she heard the sound of the shower stop in the distance.

"She's fine babe, Honestly. She's just eating her tea at the moment but that nice Nurse came around earlier, She said Jada's doing a little better and she might be able to go home tonight." Michelle explained.

"Good." Carla said with a sigh of relief, "Has she asked for me n Peter at all?"

"Yeah a few times…" Michelle began, "But not in a sad way, more like a curious one?"

"She's probably just wondering where her chocolate is." Carla said with a chuckle as she absent-mindedly wrapped a section of hair around her finger.

"So what ave you been up to since you've been gone? Did you n Peter go back to his in the end?" Michelle asked curiously, which led Carla to smirk.

"Yeah…" Carla began, glad Michelle couldn't see the foolish look her face right now. "Yeah... We're still ere... I've just woken up from an... unexpected nap."

"Oh you managed to get some sleep?" Michelle asked sounding rather surprised, "That's good… how about Peter?"

"Erm… yeah." Carla said vaguely, "I guess he slept too… he's just getting out of the shower actually so I'll jump in next and then we'll be straight back to the hospital."

"Well I know you must be desperate to get back to Jada but honestly, take your time. Simon's here, he came straight after school, he's sitting with Jada now, they are watching a movie on his IPad." Michelle said.

"Oh… how sweet." Carla said, her eyes going wide for a moment as she remembered about Simon and how he could have actually come home from school and stumbled onto her and Peter in a rather compromising position. She was mighty glad he didn't come home and as she heard Michelle say,

"It really is... Si's so sweet with her." Carla took a sigh of relief once again and wondered how long it would be before she saw Peter again.

She didn't have to wait for too long because as she said,

"Well we won't be long, I promise. Give Jada a kiss from me and tell her I'll be there soon." The bathroom door opened. Carla turned around to see Peter stood with a towel wrapped around his waist and once again, her teeth sank into her bottom lip only this time it wasn't to do with disbelief and more to do with her trying not to blurt out what she and him had just done to Michelle on the phone.

"I will." Michelle said happily, with no idea what was happening right now between her best friend and Peter right now.

"Alright… I gotta go Chelle..." Carla said slowly, as Peter walked towards her looking rather sheepish. He had another towel in hand as he dried his hair and as Carla hung up her phone, he cleared his throat and said,

"How's Jada then?"

"She's fine." Carla said with a nod, not quite looking Peter in the eye as she spoke because she was sure if she did, she wouldn't be able to maintain a straight face. "The Nurse actually said she's doing a lot better actually..."

"Thank god." Peter nodded, looking down on Carla who was sat below him in the white shirt he had on earlier… the very same white shirt she had pulled... no tore off his body, only a few hours ago.

Carla very quickly caught on to what Peter was staring so intently at and looked sheepish as she said,

"Sorry… I err just grabbed it…"

"No." Peter very quickly replied, shaking his head as he stopped drying his hair. "It's fine… it… it looks… good… on you." He swallowed hard as he heard how nervous he suddenly sounded when he had just spoken.

What he really wanted to say to Carla was that he thought his shirt looked incredible on her and to say that he never wanted to see her wear anything else but obviously he knew that this situation was awkward enough as it was already without him adding more fuel to the fire.

"Errr… anyway. The Shower's all yours." Peter eventually said, moving both hands down to the towel that was around his waist, as if he was trying to make sure it stayed up and in place.

"Thanks." Carla said taking a deep breath before getting up off the sofa. She placed her phone on the coffee table in front of it and instead of walking off in the direction of the bathroom, she just stood motionless for a moment.

Right in front of Peter, who was still only wrapped in a towel.

"You okay?" He asked after a few rather torturous moments of silence.

"Yeah." Carla nodded quickly, "Course…" She turned around and began walking off towards the bathroom but no sooner had she reached the door had she turned back around and said, "Do ya think…we should discuss what happened earlier? We probably should… right?"

"Yeah…" Peter nodded, then he looked down at his bare legs and over at Carla who was stood in front of him wearing pretty much only his shirt. "Although maybe we should do it when we're… y'know actually wearing clothes eh?"

"I reckon that's probably a good Idea." Carla nodded and with that she turned around and headed into the bathroom. She very quickly got undressed and into the shower before her body disobeyed her head and before she did something else instead.

* * *

After a rather quick shower and a quick brush over her hair and teeth, Carla soon reappeared in the living room with a towel wrapped around her damp body.

Peter was sat, fully dressed in a Jeans and T-Shirt and at his dining table with a coffee in hand, as Carla walked into the room. She took a look around as she entered the living room and realised that Peter had obviously spent his time tidying up the mess they'd made earlier.

He'd picked up the plates, the knives and Simon's schoolbooks whilst Carla had been in the shower. He'd also made sure that he got rid of the dreaded Strawberry and Banana smoothie that was still sat on the coffee table and had washed some of the dirty dishes that had been left in the sink from him and Jada's day in yesterday.

There was also a coffee waiting for Carla on the table too and Peter hoped that she would be out of the shower soon because he wasn't sure about how much longer he could sit alone for.

When he thought about the past twenty-eight or so hours, he couldn't believe that he and Carla had ended up back in bed the way they did and as she slowly walked past him and into his bedroom, he was sure that he saw her flash a quick smirk at him.

He was desperate to know exactly what she was thinking about what had just happened between them and waiting for her to get dressed from her shower was absolute torture but eventually, Carla came sauntering back into the living room.

She was wearing a pair of tight black jeans and a black jumper with silver zips on the sleeves and she was also carrying Jada's yellow backpack, which she had quickly packed in case Jada might need to stay another night. Carla sat down on the chair opposite Peter, smiled and then said,

"So… should we… talk now?"

"I think we should..." Peter replied almost instantly, although he was staring at Carla in a way that made her smile nervously.

There was a very long and very awkward silence, one that had Carla looking down at her hands, which she'd left rested on her lap and one that had Peter staring over into his kitchen.

"Do ya want me to warn up your coffee?" He quickly asked, finally breaking the silence between him and Carla as he got up off his chair.

"No." She said, suddenly looking up and grabbing him by the hand. "Sit down Peter… let's not drag this out any longer than we ave to eh?"

"Okay…" Peter said slowly, resting back on the chair he had been sat on as Carla let go of his hand.

She took a deep breath before shaking her head and saying,

"This is all a bit ridiculous… I mean… this is me n you… it's not as if we aven't had sex _plently_ of times before." Peter chuckled at this comment and as Carla rolled her eyes and their awkwardness he said,

"You're right." He then let his face stop looking comical and as he stared looking serious again he said, "These past twenty four hours ave been… awful… more than awful… un-imaginable." Carla nodded at him slowly but she didn't say anything in response this time, she just let Peter talk instead for a while because it looked as if he had a lot to say, "I've been stupid… I've been a prat and well... rather childish. I mean let's be honest ere, most of the arguing n stuff… well it was all my fault weren't it? n rather than bickering with you over such silly things I should ave just been doing everything you said… You're Jada's Mum… you've been with her since the start… you know a hell of a lot more about her than I do… It's just… when she kept asking for you and only you. I felt so useless… Like me being there was doing Jada no good… I felt like such a bad father."

"Peter…" Carla interrupted, she gave Peter a sympathetic look and felt really bad because she had no idea that Jada had kept asking for her. "Stop right there." She said shaking her head disappointedly. "We're both Jada's parents… both of us… equally. I know I've sort of taken over since me n Jada ave been back and for that I'm sorry..."

"No Carla you avent taken over, You're the one who has looked after her for the past two years. If she hadn't ave asked for you so much I would have been worried… it just… I dunno, it got to me that's all... I shouldn't ave let it."

"Peter, You've done a fantastic job with Jada… and Simon for that matter… I can still see that kid adores you… even when you're both in the midst of an argument he worships you Peter." Peter didn't quite look like he believed Carla so she leant forward so he could see her better and said, "Peter I mean it. I really really do. That kid is an amazing big brother to Jada… and he gets all of the good stuff he does with her from you… all the sweet things he says and he does… it's all from you Peter… Jada is lucky to ave a Dad like you… and I'm lucky too… I'm lucky because I know that my little girl is always going to ave a Dad she can count on."

"Even if he is thousands of miles away eh…" Peter sniffed hard as Carla sat before him, she hadn't actually been finished so she nodded slowly and continued.

"I think all of this… stuff between me n you… Well I think it has been brewing since the whole thing with me n Nick in the pub… y'know when you thought Jada was missing." Carla began, Peter started to protest but Carla simply shook her head again and said, "No Peter… let me finish… First of all… I have to let you know that there is absolutely nothing going on with me and Nick Tilsley… nothing… at all."

"Okay." Peter replied nodding as assuringly as he could, but Carla still wasn't convinced that he was convinced so she then said,

"I'm being one hundred per cent truth full ere Peter… he means… nothing to me... I really really cannot stress that enough."

" _Okay_." Peter nodded again, desperate to show Carla that he believed her. She smiled at him in a relieved sort of way and then went onto her next subject.

"Second of all… I am really really sorry about taking Jada like I did that night…"

"Carla you've already said Sorry." Peter reminded but Carla shook her head ashamedly and said,

"No… I avent… not properly I avent and that's why I'm saying it now. I really am Sorry Peter… I just didn't think… I guess I've spent so much time with it just being me n Jada... I didn't know any better. If I wanna take her out when we're in L.A. I just do… there's no one to tell… no one there to invite along… no one. It's always been just me n her. So I didn't even stop to think about how it would be when you woke up without her. It must ave been awful for ya."

"It was." Peter nodded, "But I get it… I get what you're saying and I understand… I really do… it must be so hard in L.A on your own… it must have been even worse when Jada was a little baby… I admire and respect you so much for the way you've raised our little girl Carla… I cannot say that enough."

"Well… I admire n respect you n all… and I reckon we're both pretty good parents So…I think the arguing…I think it stops now… right?" Carla asked and when Peter nodded she reached forward and poked him playfully. "And… just so ya know… me n you… well we're both as bad and as stubborn as each other. I was being just as childish as you at some points during today n yesterday for that matter… It's not our fault y'know... Our emotions ave just been all over the place… plus we were majorly sleep deprived… I guess this had to end up with us ripping each others clothes off really."

Peter chuckled again this time and after Carla joined in, she sighed and said,

"I guess now we ave to figure out where we... go from ere."

"Well…" Peter said nervously before swallowing hard and shrugging a little. "I mean… as you said… it was probably always going to end up the way it did… n it's not like we aint done it before… I think we should probably just… forget it."

"Forget it?" Carla repeated loudly, almost in shock. For a moment she tried to imagine forgetting the rather astonishing sex that she and Peter had earlier on today and as she did so, Peter couldn't help but snigger at the look on her face and say,

"Okay… maybe not forget it…"

"Good." Carla breathed, "Cause I was gonna say… I don't think I could forget something like that." She grinned, albeit in a sheepish way. "I mean… I gotta be honest… it's been years since I've had some... any action."

"Yeah me too." Peter nodded, he was grinning at Carla in a way that made her blush slightly. She giggled and shook her head before he continued with, "I dunno... Maybe we should just try to carry on as normal. Just because we've had sex it doesn't mean anything has changed."

Carla was silent for a moment and so was Peter.

They both took a fare few seconds to think about whether things had been changed between them.

They both took a moment to pretend as if what happened this afternoon hadn't changed everything.

Carla tried to imagine getting back into that bed later on tonight or maybe even tomorrow when Jada was home, she tried to imagine lying in the same spot she and Peter had made love and the thought of it was almost too much to bear.

"Can we though? Can we really carry on as normal?" Carla asked, Peter nodded although he didn't seem to convincing, he and Carla both sat next to each other and tried to pretend as if what had happened earlier really was just about the sex.

They both tried to pretend as if once it was over and once they had collapsed next to each other on their old bed, that Carla didn't rest her head on Peter's chest and that they didn't fall asleep peacefully minutes later.

"I reckon it can't hurt to try..." Peter said, looking at Carla so intently that she had to nod and say,

"Okay." She sighed as she stood up and stretched, deciding that She and Peter could only try and move on from this as quickly as they could because if they didn't, things would get very complicated.

Peter wasn't naive enough to believe that just because he and Carla had slept together, that it would mean she'd stay or anything of the sort and he really didn't want to bring up the fact that Carla and Jada would be leaving soon so that's why he was trying his best to make sure that things would stay the same.

"Right…" Carla said after taking a quick breath, "Let's head back to the hospital, I'm dying to see our little one." Peter nodded at Carla and stood up as she walked over to where she had hung up her jacket.

As she put it on Peter wondered just how long they could "carry on as normal." And as they climbed back into his car he knew it wouldn't be very long at all.

As Carla reached forward and switched on the radio again, Peter felt as if he couldn't keep his mind off her.

She quietly sang along to an old Adele song and Peter couldn't help but smile to himself as he kept his eyes on the road, one part of his brain was totally fixated on their journey but the other was going over the afternoon they had just spent together.

Peter couldn't help but wonder if Carla was thinking about him just as much as he was thinking about her and as he parked the car in the hospital car park, She smirked at him before opening the door and getting out.

"What?" He asked after getting out of the car.

"Nothing..." She grinned, shaking her head and walking towards the hospital entrance. They had only been gone four and a half hours but it really felt like a lifetime for Peter and Carla and they really couldn't wait to see Jada.

* * *

Jada was sat on her hospital bed in the middle of a story with Granddad Ken when her Mother and Father suddenly reappeared. Michelle and Simon were both sat on plastic hospital chairs enjoying the sight of Ken and Jada sharing a picture book.

"Mummy!" Jada cried, practically jumping up into the air when she saw Carla and Peter enter her room. Peter looked at little downtrodden at the way Jada had only called out her Mummy's name when they entered and as Carla bent down to give Jada a hug, once again she felt suddenly really bad for Peter but then Jada waved wildly over at Peter and said, "Daddy!"

Peter smiled in a surprised fashion at Jada as she put her arms around her Mum's neck and then when Carla stood up, Jada said,

"Daddy cuddle." She reached up towards her Dad and when Peter picked her up, his smile had got even wider.

"Hello Princess." He said, kissing her on the cheek tenderly as Carla walked around the bed to say hello to Michelle, Ken and Simon. Jada kissed Peter back lovingly and stroked his beard. When Carla had finished her hellos, she silently thanked god that Jada had shown so much affection towards Peter because it seemed as if he really needed it.

Ever since Carla had found out how much Jada had been asking for her when she had first arrived at the hospital, She couldn't help but feel really guilty and also feel really sorry for Peter, she tried to imagine a world what life must be like in Peter's shoes and Carla knew that each day with Jada must be a beautiful blessing.

She knew that each time Peter must pick Jada up, kiss her, hug her, do anything with her he must be reminded how soon she would be leaving and Carla couldn't even begin to imagine how on earth that dreaded day was going to go, so she very quickly shook her head and turned her attention back to her daughter.

"So, How's she been?" Carla asked, pulling off her jacket as Simon got up of his chair, he gestured for Carla to sit down but she shook her head saying, "No don't be daft, you stay there Si." She sat down on the end of Jada's bed as Ken began talking and said,

"Jada's been absolutely fine, Hasn't she Michelle?"

"Yep." Michelle nodded, "The Nurse should be along soon actually for another check up but her blood pressure has gone down and her temperature as well. She ate her tea all up, I've changed her nappy not long ago and she also went for a play in the play area earlier with Simon didn't she?"

"Yeah." Simon chuckled, "I thought she would be shy at first but she marched straight in there and was bossing the other poorly kids about within minutes."

"I bet she was... Just like her mother that one is." Peter said with a grin, winking at Carla as he sat down on the bed too. He still had Jada in his arms and when Carla and Peter both looked down at her again, they saw that she did look a lot better.

Her blotchy rash was still prominent on both her arms and legs but it had gone down a hell of a lot and also her eyes weren't half as swollen as they had been earlier.

"She looks so much better." Peter said with a smile, as Jada reached over to the book she and Ken were reading and said,

"Granddad book."

"Thanks Chelle… and you Ken… and you Si." Carla said, smiling at them all because she had been feeling really guilty for leaving the hospital earlier but now she was back and now she'd seen that Jada was absolutely fine, Carla felt a little more at ease.

"You're more than welcome… Little Jada has been as good as gold." Ken said with a nod, he looked between a more rested and happier Carla and Peter before saying, "Michelle tells me you were both able to get a bit of sleep."

It was then that Carla and Peter both exchanged a rather amused look and whilst Ken hadn't seen it because he was opening the book that he and Jada were reading, Simon and Michelle had.

They grinned at each other and knew something was going on between Carla and Peter, they just weren't sure exactly what.

"Yeah… we did actually." Peter eventually said, clearing his throat a little awkwardly as Michelle smirked at Carla. She looked at her best friend as if she knew that something was up but she didn't get much of a chance to ask because Jada's Nurse soon returned to the room and when she did, she smiled at Carla and Peter.

"Ahhh Hello again Mum and Dad. You both look a lot better than you did the last time I saw you both." She said, looking at Carla and Peter who since changing their clothes and being showered really did look a lot better. Carla got up off the bed and moved out of the way so that the doctor could take a proper look at Jada. "Now… how's little Jada doing?"

"She's still been fine." Michelle said with a smile, "I was just filling her Mum and Dad in on how good she's been." Jada's doctor proceeded to take her temperature and as she did so, Carla was now stood, right next to Peter.

They both observed their brave little girl who was more than used to having her temperature taken by now but they were also both very aware how close they were to each other.

They ignored the urge they had to reach out and touch each other and instead they both simultaneously folded their arms. The Nurse then turned to them and said,

"Jada's temperature is still normal which is really good news, I'm going to listen to her chest, to check her breathing and if her blood pressure is normal, She might just be able to go home tonight."

"Really?" Carla asked with wide eyes.

"Yes." The Nurse said with a smile, "Just as long as her BP has stayed down." After taking Jada's blood pressure the nurse smiled once again and stood up saying, "Jada's blood pressure is still back to normal. I'm going to double check with the doctor but I reckon you guys will be home with Jada in no time."

"That's perfect news." Peter said excitedly, The Nurse stood up straight and went in search for the doctor whilst Ken picked up his and Jada's book and said,

"It really is good news." Jada just sat happily next to her Granddad and took hold of the book whilst Peter turned to a relived Carla.

"Looks like we'll be home soon eh?" She said excitedly and to this, all Peter could do, was nod... and smile... a lot.

* * *

It took a lot longer than all of the Barlow's plus Michelle had anticipated for the Nurse to get the Doctor and it soon turned out that Jada's doctor was busy, so the Nurse had to wait even longer.

"I'm really sorry." Said The Nurse when she had returned back into the, "She's actually busy with another patient, but I'm gonna try and make sure I'm the first person she speaks with when she's done."

"Eh don't worry about it, We're in no rush." Peter said with a genuine smile. He was sat on the hospital bed with Jada perched on his lap, Carla was sat directly on the bed next to him and Simon was on the chair next door. They were chatting away and interacting like a proper family again so Peter really was in no rush to leave.

Michelle and Ken were still at the hospital too and had kept both eyes on a rather quiet Carla and Peter who had spent most of their time since arriving back at the hospital, doting on their almost two year old and also, sharing some rather flirtatious glances too.

Simon, Ken and Michelle had immediately noticed their more relaxed attitude towards each other and as they sat next to each other on the bed, their bodies soon got closer and closer to one another's, so close that at one point, Carla had her head rested on Peter's shoulder.

"Right…" Michelle said with a yawn and a stretch. "Since you'll probably be on your way home soon, I reckon I'm gonna love you all n leave ya." She got up off the chair she was sat on and gave Simon a quick hug before Peter said,

"Thanks for being ere Michelle, we really appreciate it." Jada was sat on Peter's lap with her thumb in her mouth and her other free hand was clutched onto Carla's tightly.

"Don't mention it." Michelle said, leaning over the bed and kissing Jada on the cheek. "Bye bye Gorgeous… I'll see ya tomorrow okay."

"Bye Bye Chelle." Jada said, waving at Michelle before putting her thumb back into her mouth. Carla looked at her daughter, who looked ever so comfortable in her Dad's lap and then said,

"I'll walk you to your car Chelle." She gently let go of Jada's hand and got up off the bed as Ken said a goodbye to a tired looking Michelle.

"Do me a favour love, if the shop's still open could ya bring me back a packet of crisps please?" Peter asked Carla who was now stood next to the bed with her hands on her hips.

"And what did ya last slave die of?" Carla asked with a grin as Peter went into his pocket and pulled out a ten-pound note.

"Oh come on, I'm starving ere…" Peter began, "I aven't eaten since lunch time."

"What n I ave?" Carla asked in an amused fashion as Michelle pulled her coat on. "I'm hungry too ya know."

"Well then… treat your self to a packet of cheese n onion on me." Peter smirked, holding the ten-pound in the air in front of Carla. She rolled her eyes at him as she went to take hold of it but Peter being the joker that he was, kept a tight grip on the money for a moment and pulled Carla towards him before eventually letting go of the tenner.

"Do ya want anything from the shop?" Carla asked, looking between Ken and Simon and feeling slightly flushed due to Peter and her flirty banter.

"No thanks." Ken said shaking his head but an also rather hungry Simon had other ideas.

"I'd like some crisps as well… maybe some Pringles." He said which led Peter to nod enthusiastically and say,

"Yes, Get the red ones... and some of that salsa dip if they ave it? Oh and maybe some of those mints... y'know the clear ones that come in the blue packet?"

"Is that all?" Carla cried, shaking her head as she and Michelle walked towards the door of the hospital room.

"Yeah… I reckon that'll do." Peter nodded with a wink, which made Carla close her eyes and shake her head with a grin. Jada on the other hand didn't think that would do at all, she looked at her Mum and suddenly, furrowed both eyebrows together.

"Jada chocolate?" She said, remembering how she had been promise a Milkybar earlier on and how her parents still hadn't delivered. "Jada Milkybar." Jada said with both hands in the air.

"Okay baby." Carla smiled, she pulled the door open and was about to leave when Peter called after her and said,

"I fancy some chocolate too… get one of the big bars yeah?"

"Yeah yeah." Carla said rolling her eyes before walking out of the hospital room. She and Michelle walked towards the lifts together and when Carla pressed the down button, Michelle smiled and said,

"Well I see you and Peter are getting on much better, amazing what a bit of kip can do eh?"

"Yeah…" Carla said with a huge grin on her face, she looked around her to make sure that no one else was around listening and then said, "Okay I ave to tell ya because it's driving me insane not talking about it… I can't hold it in any longer."

"Go on…" Michelle said intrigued as the door to the lift opened. Carla practically pushed Michelle inside it and as the door closed she took a deep breath and said,

"We slept together." She'd said it so quickly that it almost sounded like one word so Michelle just laughed and said,

"I beg your pardon."

"Chelle…" Carla groaned, nudging Michelle in the side with her elbow.

"What…" Michelle cried, "I might ave misheard you."

"You did not." Carla said, almost covering her face and her grin as the lift had reached the bottom floor of the hospital. She and Michelle both left the lift and as they did so, Carla turned to her best friend and said, "You're going to make me say it again aint ya?"

"Oh I so am." Michelle cackled, earning another nudge from Carla. "Say it Carla... Say it."

"Alright!" Carla said, linking her arm into Michelle's as they walked towards the exit of the hospital. "Me N Peter... slept together."

"Finally." Michelle squealed excitedly as she and Carla left the hospital

" _Finally_?" Carla repeated, almost laughing at her best friends reaction.

"Oh Carla, this has been a long time coming." Michelle said, she grinned and then asked, "How was it?"

"Un... describable." Carla said with a wicked look in her eyes, one that showed Michelle that despite how it had probably complicated things, Carla and Peter had definitely had a good time.

"No wonder you n Peter were in such a good mood when you got back then..." Michelle said, rubbing her hands together, almost with glee and as if she was full of a thousand questions.

After asking a fair few of her questions and leaving Carla with rather pink cheeks, Michelle folded her arms and said,

"So... what happens next then?"

"Nothing." Carla said, leaning against Michelle's car and sighing because she knew this question was coming.

"Nothing." Michelle groaned, "Seriously?"

"Yes seriously." Carla nodded, "I mean... Nothing's changed ere Chelle..."

"Oh come on." Michelle said shaking her head, "How can you say nothing's changed?"

"Because it hasn't... I'm still going Chelle if that's what you mean?" Carla said, although her tone of voice had changed and she didn't sound so sure anymore.

"But Carla, This is you n Peter we're talking about... You two cannot not ignore something like this."

"Yeah well we're gonna damn well try... We ave to." Carla said firmly, with a nod as if she was trying to convince herself rather than Michelle.

"Okay..." Michelle nodded dejectedly. "I can see that I'm gonna get nowhere with this... tonight at least."

"Pretty much." Carla nodded, "I just wanna go home Chelle... Go home n not ave to think about how much me n Peter ave probably screwed this all up." She yawned as Michelle put her arms around her and said,

"Oh I don't think you two ave screwed anything up."

"Really?" Carla groaned as Michelle pulled her close.

"Yes really." Michelle nodded, "If anything this might have brought you closer together."

"Hmmm..." Carla said as she let go of her best friend. "I'm not sure that's a good thing either to be quite honest with ya Chelle." Michelle smiled at Carla before giving her a little nudge and saying,

"Text me when you get home yeah?"

"Will do." Carla nodded as Michelle unlocked her car, she waved goodbye one more time and as Michelle drove off. Carla headed back towards the hospital.

She went into the shop and bought the items that Simon, Jada and Peter had requested and as she got into the lift, She hoped that Michelle was right and that she and Peter hadn't messed everything up.

She hoped they'd be able to "continue as normal" but when she walked back into Jada's room and saw, Simon, Peter and Jada squashed up on the hospital bed together like a proper little family, Carla thought that maybe she didn't actually want normal.

Maybe she didn't want things to be how they were before... Maybe she wanted something a little different.

"I'm back..." Carla said with a grin, holding up the bag of treats in front of Simon, Peter and Jada.

"Yay!" Jada cried happily, looking up at her Mum excitedly. She then held out her little hand and said, "Chocolate pwease!"


	18. Eleven Days

After finally getting home from the hospital on Friday night with an almost better Jada.

Upon getting home from school earlier on that day, Simon had ransacked the kitchen cupboards and the fridge just to double check that there wasn't a hint of Strawberries. When his little sister had finally got home, he had scooped her up and kissed her lovingly, saying that he was never going to let anything hurt her again.

Peter and Carla watched fondly as Jada hugged Simon back tightly and soon enough, life began to feel pretty much perfect…well as perfect as it could be as long as neither Peter or Simon thought about the fact that soon Carla and Jada would be leaving.

Even though it was inevitable, It seemed not thinking about it made life rather blissful.

There were a few moments where Carla and Peter had both secretly worried that things might get a little awkward but actually… it didn't turn out that way after all.

In fact, things between Carla and Peter were better than ever.

They didn't bicker at all since leaving the hospital and everyone around them could see that the pair truly adored spending time together.

Ken saw it every time Carla and Peter would pop over to his place during the week. He saw the way they beamed whenever they were together which happened to be a lot and even in the rare moments they spent apart, they were both full of kind words about each other. Peter would gush about what a fantastic Mother Carla is to Jada and Carla would express her joy about how much Jada and Peter had bonded since they were back.

Michelle saw it whenever Peter and Carla had managed to get a few moments alone in the pub, leaving Jada with Ken and once even with Simon who felt very proud to be trusted with such an important job. As Carla and Peter shared a drink or two, Michelle saw them both chatter and laugh, just like they had done many many years ago.

Roy saw it when Carla and Peter would come into his café for breakfast, lunch or dinner. He saw how they still remembered how each other liked their coffees or their meals and he saw how they sat together with so much ease, so much comfort and a hell of a lot of love.

Simon saw it most though… after all, He spent the most time with Carla and Peter and he saw just how deeply in love they had to be. He didn't know much about love of course, only the stuff he'd read or seen in the movies or on TV but what he did know was that his Dad and Carla had to be in love… they just had to.

They were too close and too touchy feely not to be.

It was almost as if nothing between them had changed but when Ken or Michelle, Roy or Simon took the time to look closer and harder at Carla and Peter, they sometimes saw that they both had a hint of sadness in their eyes… one that was clearly due to the fact their time together was nearly up.

After all, Carla had always said that she and Jada would be making tracks soon after Jada's birthday and as the day in question was approaching, it was clear to those close to Carla and Peter that they were definitely dreading whenever this leaving day might be.

They weren't the only people dreading this day however, word had got around about Carla and Jada not staying permanently on the street and as everyone knew Jada's birthday was a matter of days away, they couldn't help but feel sad to know that one day soon, Carla would be gone… and that she'd be taking her and Peter's delightful little girl, who'd already made quite a name for herself since arriving back in Weatherfield with her.

Amongst all the worrying they were doing about leaving, Carla and Peter had done a very good job at being "normal"… as normal as they could be of course.

They watched movies, listened to music and their day-to-day life was full of joy, banter and laughter but their night-to-night life… well that was a little different.

That first night when Carla had climbed into the very same bed she and Peter had passionately crashed into earlier on that day, she found it rather difficult and she really had to refrain from going back into the living room and pouncing on Peter but as the days went by, it got slightly easier for her and then… On Wednesday night... something magical happened.

Carla had gotten home late after taking all of the Underworld staff out for an early Christmas meal and as she only slightly tipsily walked into the bedroom in the short red and long sleeved dress that she had chosen out hours earlier, she found Peter lying on the bed with a very tired Jada sat in his lap wearing a pair of Hello Kitty pyjamas and her hair hanging loosely.

"Hey… what are you still doing up baby?" Carla asked Jada as she approached the bed. Jada had her thumb in her mouth but she smiled lazily when she saw her Mum lean towards her for a kiss. As Carla kissed Jada lightly, Peter had to refrain from leaning in for one himself.

Carla also did the same and as she pulled away from the both, Peter smirked at her and tried not to laugh.

"She's actually been asleep since about eight..." He began, he had a picture book in hand and as Carla looked closer she saw that it was The Very Hungry Caterpillar. "She woke up about ten minutes ago... I was watching telly when I heard her call for me, I came in ere to find her and Simba in tears." Peter said, pointing down to Simba who had been tucked underneath Peter's arm for safe keeping by a slightly distraught Jada.

"Awww Jada did you ave a bad dream?" Carla asked as she kicked off her shoes. It was almost half past midnight and after having such a fun filled night out with her employees, Carla couldn't be happier to get off her feet and sit down on the bed.

"I think she did…" Peter nodded, leaning forward and kissing Jada on the head. "So I said we could have another story didn't I Jada?" Jada nodded at her Dad slowly and pointed at the book as if she wanted her Dad to continue. As Peter went to continue with the adventures of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Carla got up and off the bed but she was soon told off by Jada for doing so.

"Mummy sit." Jada said sternly, actually removing her thumb from her mouth as she spoke.

"Mummy needs the loo." Carla giggled shaking her head at the child sitting on Peter's lap. "I'll come back." She promised, bending down and picking up the pair of pyjama's that she wore last night, Peter frowned slightly at the thought of Carla getting dressed because she honestly looked stunning in her red dress and when he had seen her in it earlier it had almost left him speechless.

Carla took her pyjama's with her to the bathroom and after using the toilet, brushing her teeth, taking her make up off and putting them on, Carla returned to the bedroom to find that Jada had moved from Peter's lap.

Instead of the sleepy position she had been in a minute or so ago, Jada was now sat upright next to Peter with two books on her lap. One was The Very Hungry Caterpillar but the other was called So Much and was about a family member's birthday, Jada loved this book in particular because it was a repetitive one that she could join in with.

"Come on Mummy!" Jada cried happily, bouncing up and down on the bed.

"Eh… you're supposed to be sleeping." Carla said walking around the bed and sitting on the other side to Jada, leaving her in the middle of both her Mother and her Father... This was where Jada liked it most.

"Books!" Jada said, as if now she was very much wide awake, she had her big green eyes wide as she looked between her Mum and Dad and it was almost as if she knew they wouldn't be able to say no to her because she handed one book to Carla and the other to Peter before smiling triumphantly and saying, "Mummy read it... Daddy read it."

"I can't resist that look she does…" Peter said grinning, as Carla shook her head and opened the book that she had in her hands.

"Yeah… you're not the only one." Carla said, she smiled at Peter before starting on the book Jada had given. Of course, Jada's sudden burst of energy didn't last very long and by the end of the story, She was once again fast asleep. She had her thumb in her mouth and her head rested on the pillow beneath her.

"Saved by the bell eh?" Peter grinned, putting the book Jada had given him down on the bed side cabinet whilst Carla pulled the duvet on the bed over Jada.

"Eh not so fast…" Carla said with a grin, "I could do with a bedtime story."

"Oh yeah…" Peter chuckled, as Carla leant over Jada, past him and pulled the book back off the table.

"Yeah…" Carla nodded with a mischievous look in her eyes. "Go on… read it." She secretly loved the way Peter read to Jada, all the voices he did for each character always made Carla smile and even though Jada was fast asleep she wasn't going to miss the chance to hear Peter reading.

"You're joking right?" Peter asked a little stunned but as Carla flung the book at him, he saw she wasn't joking. He hesitated nervously before opening the book and when he saw Carla lay with her elbow rested on the bed and her head rested on her hand, he smiled and said, "I was kinda hoping we could just talk about our days instead?"

"Oh… alright." Carla said, reaching and taking the book off him. "How was your day then?" She asked, smiling as Peter made himself a little more comfortable on the bed.

"It was lovely, Me N Jada went swimming and then we went to see Granddad Ken, he and Eccles then went for a walk with Jada whilst I helped Tracy out with shifting some stock and when I'd got back to me Dad's he and Jada were baking fairy cakes… which were actually really tasty given the fact that me Dad's not been the best cook these days and given that Jada is pretty ruthless with wanting to do everything her self."

"Awww…" Carla said at the thought of Jada and Ken baking, "I wish I were there to try one."

"Oh don't worry..." Peter smiled with a knowing smile, "There's a load of em in the kitchen, Jada wanted to bring some home for you n Si."

"Ah good." Carla said, "I'll ave one for breakfast then." Peter nodded at Carla happily and then asked her, "How was this big work night out then?"

"Really good actually..." Carla replied, "We went out to eat and then to this really cheesy night club…" Carla looked down sadly at Jada as she continued and said, "I never realised before… how much I missed em all y'know… the factory lot, they might be a pain in the backside most of the time but they are my pain in the back side y''know." Peter chuckled and nodded whilst Carla continued, "I reckon they miss me n all y'know…"

"I bet… How could they not?" Peter said softly, he was still smiling as Carla looked sheepish and tried not to move that little bit closer to Peter.

Jada was still in between the pair of them but right now Carla and Peter were probably the closest they'd been since their passionate embrace that had taken place when Jada had still been in hospital.

"I bet they don't miss me mood swings and shouting though." Carla smirked, "I bet they will be at least a little be glad to see me leave."

"No one is going to be glad to see you leave Carla…" Peter then said, shaking his head slowly. Carla smiled at him bitter sweetly and was just about to speak when Peter yawned and said, "Anyways… I think I should get out of your hair eh? Let you get some beauty sleep... not that you need it..." Peter paused slightly and went a little red in the face before saying, "You looked... out of this world earlier... I meant to tell ya... I was just a little speechless."

It was Carla's turn to go red now... even though she tried her hardest not to.

"Thanks Peter." She smiled modestly.

There was a small silence between them before Peter said,

"I'll be off to me sofa then... Goodnight."

"No!" Carla practically cried.

The outburst surprised her and Peter both and after they had both looked down to make sure that she hadn't of waked Jada, Peter said a very quiet,

"No?" Carla nodded at him slowly and bit her lip because she suddenly realised how eager she sounded to keep Peter in bed with her.

"Don't go Peter…" She eventually said, deciding not to beat around the bush. "Stay… lets… talk some more."

So that's what Peter did, he stayed and he talked so more and sure enough by one am the pair of them were fast asleep.

Waking up in the morning wasn't half as awkward as Carla and Peter would have expected it to be so again, On Thursday night, they found themselves falling asleep again, together with Jada in the middle of them both.

It was an experience that Carla and Peter had both thought they'd never get, the chance to sleep in a bed as a family and it was an experience that was painful because deep down they knew it was one that had to end… very very soon.

* * *

It was Tuesday, a week and a few days since Jada had returned home from hospital and her rash had almost vanished. She spent an eventful morning at home with Mummy who was wrapping Christmas presents and writing cards for various Barlow family members whilst Daddy was at work in the shop downstairs with Auntie Tracy.

Jada didn't notice how chocked up her mother had got when wrapping up the presents, especially those belonging to Peter qaned Simon, she was too busy trying to wrap up Simba in some spare wrapping that Carla had given her and cackling at how his head was poking out of the top of the silver paper.

"Look Mummy..." Jada giggled, tugging on the sleeve of Carla's grey jumper and pointing at Simba, "Look Simba." Carla looked up at Simba, taking her eyes off the Christmas card she had been trying to write for Peter.

"Ahhh..." Carla laughed shaking her head at Jada in an amused fashion. "Is Simba going under the tree then?" Carla asked. Jada's face then straightened dramatically at the idea of Simba having to stay under the tree and she very quickly ripped the paper of Simba as Carla looked down at the card she had on the coffee table.

It was still blank inside other than the _Dearest Peter_ that Carla had written.

She had been leaving little messages in each card but had no idea what to write inside Peter's one. There was a hell of a lot that Carla wanted to write of course but she just didn't know how to go about it and spent a very long time thinking about what to write before deciding to finish it later.

"Woweee..." Jada gasped when she looked at all the presents. "Christmas." She said nodding as Carla began putting each gift under the tree.

Jada didn't realise that she wouldn't be here to see the looks on her family's faces when they opened their presents on Christmas day and Jada didn't know that by the time her Mummy had finished putting the last gift under the tree, she was almost in tears once again.

To try and cheer her self up and escape the four walls of the flat, Carla got Jada dressed out of her pyjamas and they went over to Roy's Rolls for lunch. The cafe was full of the usual people who were in there at lunch time but Roy made sure he had a clean table for Carla and Jada as soon as he saw them enter. Jada chose a plate of chips whilst Carla just had a bacon sandwich.

Even though Carla happily chatted away with Jada about Christmas, she still felt as if she might burst into tears at any moment. She thought about Jada's birthday tomorrow and how she had initially said after that they'd been leaving.

A part of Carla knew she should just book the return flights and be done with it, that she should just bite the bullet and make that choice to leave because that had always been the plan but the other part of Carla wanted to do the complete opposite.

She couldn't bare the though of leaving Weatherfield, as much as she loved L.A there was just something about the dreary streets of Manchester, not the mention something very special about the people who lived there.

Carla thought about not seeing Ken as often as they had been, she thought about the bond Jada had with her Granddad, her Auntie, Her cousin and also Eccles the dog and couldn't stand the thought of taking Jada away from that.

She then thought about the even stronger bond Jada had created with her Big brother and her Dad... Carla suddenly wasn't hungry anymore and as her bacon sandwich arrived, she couldn't seem to reach for it and take a bite.

Jada however, was dipping a few chips in a huge pool of ketchup that she had squeezed herself when Roy sat down next to Carla and asked,

"Is… everything alright Carla?"

"Eh?" Carla replied, she had her hands wrapped around a mug of coffee and was almost lost in a Peter and Simon related train of thought before Roy had sat down next to her.

"Well…" Roy said awkwardly, clearing his throat before continuing. "It's just you look very troubled about something."

"Oh…" Carla said, not realising how worried she must have looked until Roy had pointed it out. "It's… Jada's birthday tomorrow…"

"And that's something to be concerned about?" Roy asked, he took a quick look at Jada who was thoroughly enjoying the chips she had ordered and looked back at Carla.

"No… not really, It's just… well we were meant to be leaving after that... Going back to California..." Carla explained with her voice hoarse, "That were the plan…"

"Is that no longer the plan then?" Roy asked. Carla shrugged at first, she just took another sip of coffee before sighing heavily and saying,

"Well… I dunno… I mean don't get me wrong ere Roy. I would love to sit ere n say that I want to stay ere for good, I just... I don't think I can."

"I understand that." Roy nodded, "You must find that there are a lot of horrible memories around here."

"I do." Carla nodded, she smiled at Jada who was reaching for her juice cup and then added, "But there are some really really lovely ones… ones that are new… ones we've just made."

"And are those new memories enough to make you stay?" Roy said.

Carla shrugged again and looked hopeless.

"I don't know… All I know is that I didn't think this was going to be so hard." Carla said. "I didn't expect none of this Roy... I didn't expect it to be so... perfect."

"What does Peter say about you leaving?" Roy asked, knowing that a huge part of Carla not wanting to leave was to do with Peter.

"We don't talk about it." Carla said softly and regretfully, wishing that she and Peter had talked more about her leaving from the start because maybe now it would be slightly easier on them both.

"So what do you talk about?" said Roy a little surprised.

"Almost everything else." Carla smiled again, although this smile was a sad one. "We don't talk about me n Jada leaving cause it's too hard... N what we also don't talk about… is our feelings…"

"I can imagine he's not at all keen on your departure." Roy said.

"Yeah… you imagine right..." Carla nodded, "I'm not too keen on it either but I can't help but think that I should still go… I can't help but think it's for the best… Jada's got a lovely life in L.A. She's got her Nursery, her friends... her swimming club... Don't get me wrong, Peter has more than proved himself as an amazing Dad to Jada… and It's so selfish of me to think this way but I can't stay ere… I can't stay ere n be his mate… There's no way I can pretend I don't ache inside whenever I think about our past." Carla saw the look on Roy's face and then quickly added, "N before you say it there is no way we can get back together…"

"Why not?" said Roy looking as if it made perfect sense for Carla and Peter to get back together, even though he knew all about her past with Peter.

"Because I won't be able to cope if everything goes wrong again… I barley coped the last time. I came so close to losing it before… " Carla replied shaking her head. "I wish I could stay for Jada... I really do... I hate being this selfish..."

"No…" Roy said shaking his head, "You're not being selfish. Your general health and well being is important, it's absolutely vital you look after your self to make sure you can look after Jada… If staying makes you feel so on edge… maybe you should go. However... I can't tell you what to do. This decision has to be all yours."

"Does it ave to?" Carla groaned rolling her eyes, "It would be so much easier if someone else made it for me." She looked at Jada who was drinking some juice and asked, "Jada… Do you want to go back to Butterflies soon?"

"Butterflies?" Jada asked, looking slightly blank for a moment before obviously remembering about her nursery in California and then saying, "Butterflies not here."

"I know…" Carla said with a smile. "But we can get on a plane… like we did when we first came here… we can go back there… go back to the beach… see Auntie Susie..."

"Daddy come too..." Jada nodded excitedly. "And Simon." Jada continued to watch her Mummy carefully and waited for a response. "Daddy come Mummy?"

"Maybe..." Carla said, although she knew full well Peter couldn't come with them to L.A. She felt like bursting into tears at that very moment and as Roy looked at her she said, "This is why I don't end up talking about it…" She took another sip of coffee and sniffed hard before quickly shaking her head and trying to change the subject by saying, "Anyways… Jada's party starts at four pm tomorrow… you are coming right?"

"Yes. Yes I am." Roy nodded although he had hoped Carla would have talked more about the leaving situation.

"Good... wait till you see what we've got planned..." Carla nodded excitedly, she looked over at Cathy who was stood at the till and said, "You can bring your new girlfriend if ya want…" She smirked.

"Oh…" Roy said a little taken aback. "I shall..." He tried to get Carla to talk more about the situation she was in but she kept avoiding the subject and in the end, he knew he was getting nowhere.

It wasn't just Roy who tried to get Carla to make a decision on whether she would actually leave or not, Ken did too.

Carla and Jada had turned up at his place just after their lunch at the café. Jada said a big hello to her Granddad and ran into the living room to see Eccles.

Whilst she sat on the floor in front of the beloved family Dog, Ken made Carla another coffee and as he sat down he said,

"So… How are you both?"

"Yeah we're fine." Carla lied. Jada was fine but Carla knew that she was far from it and so did Ken.

"You sure?" He asked looking slightly concerned. Carla nodded and sipped coffee even though she'd had more than enough earlier. She didn't say anything so Ken decided to bite the bullet and ask, "Have you made any plans for going back home yet?"

"Subtle Ken… real subtle." Carla replied instantly. She knew exactly what he had meant by his question and sighed as Ken nodded and said,

"Sorry… But I know it's Jada's birthday tomorrow and I know the plan was for you both to leave after it… I can't help but ask… I guess I just want to make sure I cherish the little time I have left with you two." Ken beamed over at Jada who was singing and waving Simba in Eccles' face.

"I aven't made any plans yet Ken… I've tried to… It's just hard." Carla replied. "Really hard…"

"Well… if it helps." Ken said, "I will support whatever decision you make. As hard as it will be to say goodbye to you both, I know that wherever you and Jada go, she'll be looked after exceptionally well."

"Thanks Ken." Said Carla smiling. She still felt slightly distressed about the whole situation but after a couple of hours at Ken's, Carla had started to feel a whole lot better.

* * *

After returning home at around four pm, Carla set about cooking dinner for them all. Peter was still downstairs in the second hand shop but Simon had returned home from school shortly afterwards and when he saw the new pile of presents underneath the very large Christmas tree, he grinned.

"Where did all those pressies come from?" He asked as he pulled off his coat. The cold December weather had turned his cheeks red and as Carla approached him, he rubbed his hands together and said, "Are they from you?" He asked.

"They might be?" Carla grinned as Jada came running over to Simon with her arms open wide.

"Simon!" She called happily, she threw her arms around Simon's legs and when he picked her up she kissed him on the cheek.

"Hello Jada." Simon said kissing Jada back. Carla felt her heart warm as she looked at the two of them and then before she could get too upset, she returned to the kitchen where she had some pasta boiling in a pan.

"What you cooking?" Simon asked, he still couldn't believe how good at cooking Carla had become and had gotten quite use to eating some of her scrumptious dinners since she had been living with him.

"Tomato and Basil pasta… I might chuck some little bacon bits in… what d'ya reckon?" Carla asked, looking down at the ingredients she had placed on the kitchen counter.

"Yum. Do it." Simon said nodding his head as he walked over to the sofa with Jada still in his arms. He sat down on it and watched The Lion Guard on the Disney channel with his little sister.

Peter returned home at four thirty, just in time for dinner and was overcome to see, Jada, Simon and Carla all sat at the table waiting for him… this was a scene he had spent so long wishing to come home to before Carla and Jada had come back and he couldn't help but grin from ear to ear for the rest of the evening.

After dinner Simon and Jada had taken to playing a very complicated game of tag in the living room and normally Peter couldn't take to Simon running wildly around the living room like that. Carla never really let Jada run around in their apartment back home either but the pair of them just sat on the sofa together happily, watching the brother and sister in front of them have a whale of a time.

That's how the past ten days had pretty much been spent for Carla and Peter.

Happy.

Content.

Pretending as if they could stay like this forever even though they knew that they couldn't.

* * *

"Right… I'm done… I physically can't tie another one." Simon said, tying up the balloon he had in his hand before letting it go so it floated up towards the ceiling. It joined another thirty something helium balloons and as Simon looked up at them, Peter stood by his son's side with his hands on his hips and said,

"Y'know… I reckon we might ave gone a little over board with those…"

"A little?" A voice said. Peter and Simon turned around to find an amused Carla stood by the front door. She had a raised eyebrow and she was carrying a large white cardboard box. She then smiled at Peter and Simon and said, "Jada's gonna love it… she loves balloons."

"Good…" Peter nodded in an pleased way. "Because we sure ave a hell of a lot of em." He walked towards Carla and took the large box from her hands so she could take her jacket off.

"Thanks." Carla said, beaming at Peter as he stood in front of her.

To say that things had been going well between them would be a real understatement.

Jada had been in bed for almost an hour now, this was very good news for Carla, Peter and Simon because they had been itching to get the flat ready for Jada's birthday tomorrow all day.

"Let's see this cake then." Simon said excitedly, following his Dad over to the kitchen counter where he had placed the cake. Carla joined them both in the kitchen as Peter gently lifted the lid of the box.

He revealed a bright green square shaped cake which had been adorned with many characters from the film the Lion King that were made out of fondant icing.

"Wow…" Simon said, staring in awe at the cake that was on the counter below him. Not only did the cake have all the important Lion King characters on it but it was decorated with many jungle items such as leaves, trees and it also had _Happy 2nd Birthday Jada_ written on it in black icing.

"That's incredible…" Peter said smiling down at the cake Carla had bought from a bakery in town.

"It is isn't it?" Carla nodded, still in shock at how lovely the cake was, even though she had first laid eyes on it a least half an hour ago by this point. She had ordered it on Monday morning, after deciding that her little girl couldn't just have a plain old sponge birthday cake… after all, If Jada was going to have a Lion King themed party, she'd need a Lion King themed cake.

Carla and Peter had decided on the Lion King themed party a while ago now and they had both wanted to make sure that everything looked absolutely perfect for their little girl. This meant a lot of looking online for jungle themed decorations, balloons cups and plates and other party stuff. At one point Peter and Carla had got a little worried that it might not turn up in time but luckily enough, all the items that they had ordered made it to Weatherfield before Saturday.

"Jada's going to love it..." Simon said, returning back to the helium canister that his Dad had bought from a party shop, as Simon picked up another green balloon, Peter chuckled and put the lid back on the cake before saying,

"That's enough Si...Seriously Kiddo, We don't need anymore balloons."

"You sure?" Carla grinned, as she looked back over to the thirty something balloons that were touching the ceiling. Simon looked relieved as he put the balloon he had in hand down and said,

"Do ya reckon they will stay up over night?"

"They better." Peter warned, walking over to the cardboard box that the helium had come in and picking it up so he could read the information on it. "The guy in the shop said they should last a least a few days."

Carla smiled as she kicked her shoes off and wondered how long Jada had been in bed for. When she had left the flat a good three hours ago, Jada was busy messing about with her big brother and she was so full of beans that she didn't look as if she was anywhere even close to being tired.

As Carla, Peter and Simon continued to hang up decorations on Tuesday and lay out presents for Jada on the coffee table, they all made sure they ignored the elephant in the room.

No one dared to mention that it was almost December fourteenth, no one dared to mention that Carla had originally said she would be leaving soon after Jada's birthday, life had been too perfect and mentioning something like that would be a disaster.

"I think that'll do…" Peter said, standing next to Carla who was taking photos of the cake she had bought Jada. She looked up from her phone and nodded slowly when she saw what the flat looked like now they were done.

Most of the ceiling had balloons floating beneath it, whilst the dining table had been covered in a special Lion King tablecloth that Peter had found online. They had also bought some rather large inflatable trees and had placed one in each corner of the room. The trees had taken ages to blow up and had left Carla in stitches when Simon and Peter had a competition to see who could get theirs blown up first. There were also some large leaves that had been hung up around the flat as well but the rest of the party decorations were being left until tomorrow.

As it was coming up to Christmas there were still lots of festive decorations hung up on the wall too, along with the Christmas tree so with Jada's party decorations up, Peter's flat now looked like a very merry jungle.

"It looks good so far Dad." Simon said, joining his Dad and Carla in the kitchen.

"Yeah Si's right…" Carla smiled, she put her phone on the counter as Simon yawned and leant against his Dad.

"I can't wait for tomorrow." He said excitedly, "I bet Jada's gonna be dead excited when she wakes up tomorrow." He thought about how many times he told his little sister it was her birthday tomorrow and how many times she replied with,

"My Birthday!"

"I'm surprised you even got her to go to sleep so early." Carla said thinking of the way Jada and Simon were running around the room when she had left. "When I left ere she was well hyper."

"Tell me about it." Peter chuckled, "She actually started jumping up and down on the sofa shortly after that."

"It were so funny…" Simon said, picking up some of the rubbish that had been left on the floor and going to put it in the bin. "I tried to get her stop but I couldn't, she's dead strong when she wants to be… I tried to pick her up but she was having none of it… She kept wriggling away from me. Anyways, Dad was well good with her… He took hold of her hand and then off to the bathroom… at first all I could hear was her giggling and shouting but then she just calmed down… when they came out of the bathroom together, Jada had her thumb in her mouth and was all relaxed... She was like a different kid."

Peter smiled modestly as Simon praised him and he smiled even more when Carla said,

"What do ya expect... Your Dad's amazing." She then turned around and walked towards the bedroom, leaving Peter and Simon alone in the heavily decorated flat. Simon turned to look at his Dad and grinned when he saw the love struck look on his face.

"Carla thinks your amazing." He said amused, nudging his Dad before walking over to the sofa where he had left his phone. "Maybe I'll go into my bedroom now… leave you two to it eh?"

"No Si…" Peter began, shaking his head. "You really don't ave to do that."

"Oh yes I do… You n Carla need some time alone." Simon nodded slowly with a mysterious grin.

It was only just nine o'clock but he went off towards his bedroom and closed the door behind him. When Carla came out of the bedroom she had been sharing with Peter and Jada dressed in a casual top and pyjama trousers she looked around and said,

"Where's Si gone?"

"To bed." Peter grinned, sitting down on the sofa. He looked at Carla who had also taken off all her make up and looked so effortlessly beautiful he couldn't help but stare longer than he probably should have.

"Already?" Carla scoffed looking over at Simon's bedroom door and pretending as if she hadn't noticed how much Peter had been looking at her. "It's barley nine o'clock."

"Yeah I know, He reckons me n you need some time alone." Peter said candidly.

"Oh…" Carla said slightly shocked, "I see." She said running her hand through her hair. She sat down next to Peter and smiled as he asked,

"So did you cal L.A n cancel Jada's big party over there?"

"Yes." Carla nodded, "I did it the other day. The guy who owns the hall weren't too please n said I won't get me deposit back but oh well... It's worth it." Carla gazed around the flat and smiled at the decorations that surrounded them. "This party is going to be totally amazing... I know it."

"Yeah me too." Peter nodded with a smile, "I know that all the family will be ere but it's a shame there won't be more kids ere... I bet you invited a lot of them back in L.A."

"Yeah..." Carla said slowly, "But maybe we can invite some of the kids from around ere... Like Lily... n Liam. Maybe Ruby and Hope would like to come along too?" Carla suggested. "It's a bit last minute but I reckon they'd like to come."

"Text em n find out." Peter said. Carla nodded and picked up her phone. She had Maria's number and Fizz's but she didn't have David or Kylie's to invite little Lily along to the party. "I'll maybe pop round there in the morning and ask if they wanna bring Lily."

She and Peter spent the next hour or so watching some Telly and sipping a cup of Tea that Peter had made. Once they were bored with the TV, Peter switched it off and after a very long conversation about the most wonderfully random things, Peter shook his head and said,

"Can you believe we nearly ave a Two year old?"

"Nope." Carla said shaking her head. "It's crazy init." Peter nodded at her and then looked ever so grateful before saying a heartfelt.

"Thanks for this Carla."

"For what?" Carla said, reaching forward and putting her empty mug down on the coffee table.

"For staying this long... I'm so looking forward to being with Jada on her birthday tomorrow." Peter said lovingly, the look on his face showing Carla just how much he was looking forward to it. "Honestly... I didn't deserve this chance you've given me."

"Yes." Carla nodded slowly. "Yes you did... and I'm glad we've stayed this long. I really am." Carla reached out and took hold of Peter's hand absent-mindedly and then there was a very long silence.

A comfortable one... one that was too comfortable.

Carla moved closer to Peter for a moment and she wasn't too sure what might have happened if Peter hadn't have said,

"I'm knackerd... I reckon I should get some sleep."

"Oh... alright." Carla nodded slowly. She was sure Peter was just keeping her at arms length as he stood up before her. She got up too and as Peter walked towards the bathroom to do all the normal routine type things you do before bed she said, "Are you... coming in the bedroom?" She asked because she and Peter had shared a bed with Jada for days now and she didn't know how to fall asleep with out him.

"Yeah..." Peter nodded slowly, "I mean only if you want me too."

"Yes..." Carla said sheepishly.

"Alright then... I'll meet you in there." Peter said with a fond smile.

Carla walked into their bedroom and sat down on the bed gently so she didn't wake Jada who was in a deep sleep. She had Simba tucked under one arm and looked so adorable that Carla leant down and kissed her on the cheek.

Peter soon ventured into the bedroom and joined Carla and their daughter in bed... both of them unaware that this was going to be the last time they shared it together.


	19. Pancakes

**_As per here I am apologising for such a late update._**

 ** _Enjoy..._**

* * *

Six am the next morning and Peter Barlow was already up, out of bed and pacing around his flat, double checking that everything was absolutely perfect for his little girls birthday.

To his delight the balloons that he and Simon had spent the night before blowing up were still floating up at the ceiling and not one of them showed any signs of deflating anytime soon.

Peter bent down at the plug socket, which was in the corner and switched on the Christmas tree lights. As the white lights began slowly fading on and off he sighed and tried not to think about the impending situation he was beginning to find himself in.

Even though today was Jada's second birthday, a day that was bound to be full of precious moments and joy, Peter still couldn't help but feel a rather large tinge of sadness.

He knew that after today Carla would probably be starting to plan her exit from Weatherfield, if she didn't have one already that is and the thought of spending Christmas without his daughter and his wife was beginning to taint Peter's wellbeing.

He knew he just had to accept it all but the idea of it just being him and Simon again still plagued Peter all the same.

Carla was leaving any day now with Jada in tow and there was nothing that he could do about it... right?

Of course, there was a part of Peter really wanted to try and convince Carla to stay.

A part of him wanted to tell her how much he still cared for her… loved her and how much he felt like he couldn't live with out her and Jada but he couldn't.

Peter couldn't say any of that stuff because he was scared that Carla didn't feel the same way as he did and that she'd go anyway.

Yes, they were now sharing a family bed together and sometimes when they were sat on the sofa she'd lean against him and stay there for hours on end but that didn't mean she still loved him.

Yes they still got on like a house on fire these days but a tiny voice kept telling Peter that Carla was only being kind to him.

That she was just being civil for Jada's sake and that now the time had almost come for them to both leave she'd be able go without batting an eyelid.

Peter also wasn't sure he could handle a rejection from Carla, which is why he had made it this far without saying anything, without begging her to stay.

After wondering about his flat tidying up and even after blowing up more balloons, a bored Peter went into his kitchen and put on the kettle on. He was pretty satisfied with the way his flat looked by now and had decided that he wasn't going to let thoughts about Carla and Jada leaving curse him any more today.

Instead, he looked over at his coffee table where he, Carla and Simon had laid out their presents for Jada the night before and smiled when he imagined the thought of her opening them all.

"What you doing up so early?"

Peter turned his head to see that Carla was stood at the door to the bedroom they had been sharing over the past few days.

He hadn't been expecting to see her stood there as he had left her in bed with Jada only thirty minutes ago. They were both in what seemed like a very deep sleep and it didn't seem like either one would be waking up any time soon.

Carla was awake now though, she was stood with her arms folded and with her long brown hair tied up in a messy ponytail from where she had slept on it last night. She was wearing a thin pair of black pyjamas and rubbed her eyes as she walked properly into the kitchen.

"Woke up at like five thirty n I couldn't get back to sleep…" Peter began as Carla walked past him. She had spotted that the kettle was on and went straight over to the kitchen cupboards where she took out two bright blue coffee mugs. "Which is annoying seeing as we fell asleep at what? One thirty, One forty five am I think?"

"I ave no idea what time it was... It was late though…" Carla said, half yawning and half smiling as she remembered that she and Peter had found it difficult to get straight to sleep last night. They had ventured into the bedroom because they were tired but it was like as soon as that they got into bed, they were suddenly full of energy.

In the end after what seemed like a never-ending silence, Peter rolled over and saw that Carla was still wide awake and that was when they started up a wonderfully random conversation.

It was such a comfortable conversation, one full of laughter, so much laughter that there were a few moments where they had to put their hands over their mouths to hold in their laugh so they didn't wake Jada up.

Neither one was sure just who had been the one to fall asleep early, all they knew was that they must have been up chatting until the early hours at the very least.

As Peter yawned again, Carla grinned as the kettle started shaking to show it had boiled and said to Peter,

"You're so gonna regret getting up so early after we ave this party later…"

"Yeah well as I said, it weren't a choice I seriously couldn't get back to sleep… I dunno I think it's because I'm so excited about Jada's party this afternoon…" Peter said getting up off the chair he was sat on, he went to assist Carla in making the coffees but she shook her head and said,

"Sit down Peter… I'll do it." Whilst speaking, Carla had absent-mindedly rested a hand on Peter's chest and suddenly everything had gone very quiet.

The simple act of Carla's hand touching his chest on top of the thin material of his T-Shirt made Peter get goose bumps but he tried his absolute hardest to not let how much the placement of Carla's hand had affected him.

Carla on the other hand was contemplating whether to very quickly move her hand right away and pretend this moment never happened or to just be brave, leave it where it was and see what Peter did next.

"Okay… Thanks…" He breathed, stepping back from Carla's light grasp. He sat back down before his urges got the better of him and did something else, whilst Carla reached across the counter and opened the yellow pot where Peter kept his coffee.

"I am really excited about this party though…" Peter said with glee. Carla was busy spooning coffee into each mug she had got down from the cupboard but she still turned around and smiled at Peter.

"Yeah you look it, I bet you're more excited than all the kids round ere put together."

Last night Carla had texted Maria and Fizz and they had both agreed to bring their children over to Jada's party, Maria had even said she'd mention it to David and ask if his daughter Lily might want to come to the party too.

"I know…" Peter said nodding sheepishly, but then he looked a little more serious now. "I just…"

"What?" Carla asked, reading the expression that Peter had on his face.

"Well… I just never thought I'd ever be able to be present at one of Jada's birthday parties… let alone host one at me flat… That's what I'm excited about… just… being there for Jada… being her Dad." Peter said in amazement.

"Awww Peter." Carla said affectionately, he sat at the table only a few feet or so away from her and all she wanted to do was reach out and hug him but she didn't.

She didn't because the thought of hugging Peter in such a moment like this one made her feel a little nervous of what might happen next, so instead she finished making their coffees.

When she was done, She placed Peter's mug down in front of him and said,

"There ya go darlin…"

"Thanks." Peter nodded appreciatively, unashamed at how being called _"darlin"_ made him feel.

"Don't mention it." Carla replied, sitting down on the very chair next to Peter rather than the one opposite.

The one opposite was the chair that Carla normally sat on when she and Peter were alone at the table, She tried to make it seem as if she just chose that chair randomly but in reality, it was as if Carla was trying to keep a safe distance from Peter.

"So… how come you're awake too?" Peter asked with a smirk because he had noticed her choice of seat and also because Carla didn't normally surface from bed until Jada was awake or sometimes even after that.

"I just am..." Carla eventually said, watching Peter in a way that made him feel almost dizzy.

In a way that made his stomach go all funny.

She was watching him in the way like she used to all those years ago before they'd ever got together.

In the way she wasn't _"supposed"_ to because they weren't a couple and because she wasn't supposed to want him because he had someone else.

Now it was different though… He didn't have someone else… as if there could be anyone else but her.

"Oh yeah…" Peter eventually responded with an eyebrow raised, looking rather smug as Carla put her mug down on the table.

"Yeah…" Carla replied, still staring at Peter, although because he was returning her gaze now, it was her turn to feel slightly giddy.

"Or maybe…" Peter grinned, "Maybe it's just because you couldn't stand being in there alone without me."

"Please…" Carla scoffed, picking up her cup of coffee and blowing it before taking a sip, Peter continued grinning in a very self assured way and when Carla had finished her sip she shook her head and said, "Honestly... the size of your ego never fails to surprise me Barlow."

"You still didn't answer my question though did ya?" Peter laughed putting his coffee cup down. He moved towards Carla and as she was so near by, he was able to poke her in the side playfully without much effort.

"Erm… you didn't actually ask me a question." Carla said, amused as she dodged Peter's next poke.

"I did… I asked you why you were up so early." He said as Carla grabbed the finger he had ready to poke her again with,

"I told you I just am." Carla giggled with a tight grip on Peter's finger, "Or… maybe I'm just really excited about Jada's birthday too." Peter nodded slowly at Carla as she let go of his finger and returned her hands to her coffee mug.

Peter yawned heavily and looked over at the clock on his wall just so he didn't make how much he was watching Carla too obvious.

"What time do ya reckon the little monkey will get up then?" he asked upon seeing that it was six forty.

"Well she normally wakes up at what? Eight o'clock… So hopefully then… Although knowing our luck though she'll get up extra late today." Carla said rolling her eyes, "N I don't expect Si will be up anytime soon..." Carla then added, thinking about how Simon didn't normally get up for school until the very last minute.

"So I guess me n you ave got some time to kill eh?" Peter said with a suggestive smirk.

"Guess… we do." Carla replied, matching the same smirk Peter had.

After a few more flirtatious moments of grins and eye contact, Carla and Peter both found themselves in a rather long and atmospheric silence.

"What?" Carla grinned staring at Peter and eventually breaking the silence between them.

"Nothing." He said, taking a sip of coffee. Carla rolled her eyes because Peter winked as he said _nothing_ and she wasn't sure how much longer they could sit in silence like this before something else happened.

"I'm… gonna ave a shower..." Carla quickly said once she had finished her coffee, taking a deep breath and getting up off her chair before she had the chance to change her mind.

"Ave fun then." Peter said with a suggestive tone to his voice. Carla tried her best not to chuckle but did anyway as she walked towards the bathroom door.

She left Peter with a quick glance that had him yearning to follow her into the bathroom but of course he knew better than that and decided he'd wash up the cups he and Carla had used instead.

* * *

After a very long and reluctantly lonely shower, Carla emerged from the bathroom to find Peter sat at the table once again. He was reading yesterday's paper and as she clung onto the towel that she'd wrapped around her self, Peter's eyes travelled over to her. A few of his top teeth sunk into his bottom lip as Carla stood in the doorway wearing nothing but a towel.

"Good shower eh?" Peter asked, trying not to stare too much as Carla ran a hand through her damp hair. She didn't answer him but raised her eyebrow expertly. She then changed tack and quickly walked into the bedroom because she was unable to stand the alluring way that Peter was looking at her in.

It was undeniable that there was a familiar energy in the air.

One that Carla and Peter had felt many times before… one that normally had them moving closer to one another.

They both wondered how long they could get on with today as _"normal"_ before something like that happened and sure enough… it didn't take too long.

Carla returned to the living room area a few minutes later with a hairbrush and a pair of straighteners in hand. She was dressed casually in a pair of black jeans and a grey T-Shirt and as she sat down at the table, Peter could smell the sweet scent of her favourite fragrance.

He very soon got up off his chair and decided that he should go for a shower himself, leaving Carla alone to get on with her hair.

As she heard Peter turn the shower on, Carla went into her bedroom and got her phone. She unlocked it, found a chat she had with Michelle and typed in,

 ** _"Don't suppose you're awake yet…? Text me when you are! xx"_**

She knew it was a long shot and that Michelle probably wouldn't be awake yet but she desperately wanted to talk to her best friend about the slightly torturous morning she'd been having.

Almost half an hour later and Carla eventually got her reply from Michelle. It was just as Peter emerged from the bathroom, He had a towel around his waist and was drying his hair.

Peter didn't know Carla was a little taken by him whilst he dried his hair but she was soon shocked right out of her gaze when her phone buzzed loudly on the table in front of her.

Peter's head swerved to face Carla as she slightly jumped and picked up her phone. She looked down at her screen and saw a message from Michelle, which said,

 ** _"Yeah, just woke up babe. Why what's up? Ahh tell Jada I said Happy Birthday xx"_**

Peter smiled at Carla modestly before going into the bedroom to get some clothes on and left Carla to reply to her message from Michelle.

 ** _"No nothings up, I'm just havin a rather… I dunno let's just say frustrating morning. Jada's not awake yet so it's just me n Peter… alone… Do ya see where I'm heading with this? xx"_**

Michelle's reply came through fast…

 ** _"Oh I see completely... Ha ha! Bet your desperate for Jada to wake soon right?"_**

 ** _"Yeah you could say that… Don't get me wrong, I normally adore some alone time with Peter it's just… well this morning it's different, it's as if it's only a matter of time before we… take it to the next level... x"_**

The next message from Michelle came through a few minutes after Carla's reply and said,

 ** _"Do ya wanna know what I think you should do? xx"_**

Carla rolled her eyes and smirked as she wrote her reply to Michelle,

 ** _"Not really… I mean I reckon I could guess what you ave in that dirty little mind of yours... so nah xx"_**

Michelle's next message came just as quickly as the first and when Carla read it, she couldn't help but laugh out loud in shock,

 ** _"Ahahaha The only reason you can guess is because it's in your even dirtier mind too. I think you two should just go for it… A morning quickie is is probably just what you n Peter need today, It'll be a nice way to celebrate Jada's birthday ha ha After all, that is how she got ere in the first place eh xx"_**

Carla wrote her next reply whilst shaking her head,

 ** _"Erm, I'll ave you know that one: Jada was not conceived during a quickie. Two: I am totally done with this conversation, Party starts at four pm, Don't be late x"_**

 ** _"Ahahahaha, Alright alright, I can take a hint. When Jada wakes up give her a kiss from me & I'll see you all later xx"_**

Carla tried to ignore Michelle's rather unhelpful view on the situation and went back to doing her hair. She was still sat at the dining table when Peter returned back in the room at Seven thirty am.

As he approached her, he looked deep in thought as he asked,

"Do ya think Jada would still recognise me if I shaved off me beard?"

"What?" Carla laughed, as Peter stroked his pretty full beard. "Are you serious?"

"Yes." Peter chuckled as this wasn't the first time he'd thought of it. "I mean she's only ever known me with a beard right?"

"I dunno…" Carla began, "I mean I must have shown her pictures of us before you had a beard… not that it matters… I mean I think Jada would recognise you anywhere." Peter smiled at Carla who then shook her head slowly and added, "Don't though…"

"Don't what?" He asked.

"Shave your beard off…" Carla said with a rather strict tone to her voice, which made Peter smile at her once again.

"Why not?" He asked, looking intrigued although he knew that Carla had always been a fan of his beard.

"Because…" She said but she didn't finish. She just gave Peter a coy look and then shook her head again.

"So…" A rather flushed Peter eventually said, "What d'ya think Jada would like to eat for breakfast today?"

"Hmmm Pancakes…" Carla replied nonchalantly.

"Pancakes…" Peter repeated with a raised eyebrow. "Is that what Jada wants for breakfast or what Carla wants for breakfast?"

"Carla." Carla grinned in a way that Peter found irresistible.

So irresistible in fact that he was very quickly going through his kitchen cupboards and finding all the necessary ingredients to make pancakes.

As he began pulling out some flour and sugar from his cupboards Carla laughed out loud and said,

"Peter… you don't ave to, I were only kidding..." Carla got up off her chair and took hold of the flour that Peter had in his hand but he wasn't having any of it.

"No... no… It's fine." Peter insisted, he took the flour back off Carla and put it on the work surface.

"No Peter's it's not fine, Jada will be happy with a bowl of cereal y'know what she's like… Besides it's her birthday not mine…" Carla said but Peter bent down and came back up with a little tub of baking powder, as he closed his cupboard, he smiled and said,

"You're Jada's Mum so today is as much as a celebration of you as it is for her. I mean... you're the one who has raised her so wonderfully during these past two years all on your own… I know I've said it before but you really ave done the most amazing job with her... so if ya want pancakes… you're gonna get em..."

Carla was touched by this gesture of Peter's.

So touched that she gently pulled him towards her by his T-Shirt and before he could do anything, her warm lips had softly been pressed against his.

It took Peter a few seconds to realise what was happening but when he worked out that Carla was actually kissing him properly, he kissed her back... of course he did.

His hands went through her hair and down her back as she clung onto his T-Shirt and as their kiss deepened, they slowly gravitated towards the kitchen counter. Carla's back hit the worktop behind her but she didn't even feel it because her whole body had been taken over by the feeling of Peter's lips on hers.

They continued to kiss passionately for quite a while, neither one of them sure they should even be in this situation but neither one of them wanting to end it because it felt so damn good.

The sound of someone giggling and someone else clearing their throat suddenly echoed through the flat and as Carla and Peter parted lips and turned their heads towards the sound, they saw Simon stood in his pyjamas with his eyebrow raised and with his little sister and the birthday girl in his arms.

Simon had left his bedroom a few minutes earlier to use the bathroom and on the way back to his bedroom he could hear someone singing faintly from his Dad's bedroom. He had knocked on the door and when there was no reply he opened it to find Jada sat on the bed alone.

She was playing happily with Simba and was singing a song Simon thought was from as a Disney film as he approached her.

"Hey Jada." Simon said as he sat down on the bed, she smiled at him tiredly and crawled towards him when he sat down on the bed. "Do you know what day it is today Jada?" Simon asked excitedly.

He was never normally up this early on the weekend but like his Dad and Step Mother he was looking forward to the day ahead so much, he just couldn't seem to get back to sleep.

"Umm…" Jada pondered, looking as if she was in deep thought. "It's… Wenday!" She cried in lucky guess with her hands in the air.

"Yes…" Simon chuckled, kissing Jada on the head. "But it's also… your birthday, Jada it's your birthday today!"

"Jada birthday…" Jada replied with her eyes wide, she'd been hearing about this day for so long and it was as if she couldn't believe it was finally here.

"Yes." Simon nodded enthusiastically, "Happy Birthday Jada." Jada smiled happily up at her brother and picked up Simba saying,

"It Simba birthday too then!" She kissed Simba on the head not actually knowing that two years ago her Dad had actually purchased the soft toy she had on her lap. Simon glanced around the bedroom once again and then said,

"Where's Mummy and Daddy Jada?"

"I don't know." Jada replied, not showing any concern about her parents not being in the room because over the past three weeks or so she had become so a custom to her Dad's flat.

"Shall we go n find them?" Simon asked amused. Jada nodded and so Simon got up with her in his arms.

He thought he might walk in on them sitting on the sofa comfortably and watching TV or sharing a conversation at the table with a mug of hot coffee but what he didn't expect to walk in on was his Dad and Carla mid kiss.

Carla now had her arms wrapped right around Peter's neck whilst his were on her hips and they looked as if they could have stayed their kissing for a hell of a lot longer.

At first Simon thought about heading back into the bedroom with Jada but since she giggled rather loudly at the sight of her parents embrace, Simon knew that it was too late and their presence had already been made, so he cleared his throat and watched his Dad and Carla look very very embarrassed.

"Morning you two." Simon grinned.

"Morning…" Peter said, he and Carla still clinging onto each other as Jada giggled again and adorably covered her mouth with her hand.

"Daddy kiss Mummy." Jada gushed with Simba tucked underneath her arm as Carla and Peter smiled sheepishly at the two kids before them.

"Actually it was the other way around." Peter smirked earning a little nudge from Carla who looked even more embarrassed now, she eventually turned all of her attention to Jada instead.

"Happy Birthday Jada." She said, letting go off Peter and walking over to Simon.

He let Carla take Jada out of his arms and as Carla kissed her now two year old on the cheek, Simon smirked at his Dad and said,

"Sorry for interrupting." He was clearly amused on what he had walked in on and as Carla kissed Jada again, Peter shook his head at Simon and said,

"No… it's fine…" He then looked at Carla and Jada who were in a loving embrace and smiled happily as he said, "I wouldn't trade this for anything y'know."

"Me neither." Simon said with the same loving expression on his face as his Dad had.

"Look balloons!" Jada cried, pointing up at all of the balloons that were floating up at the ceiling. "Jada have one pwease!"

Simon reached up and pulled one of the balloons that had been tied by a ribbon, he handed it to Jada who smiled at it and said,

"My Birthday today."

"Jada you are two years old today…" Carla said, hugging her daughter tightly with tears in her eyes, unable to believe she had a two year old when all her life she had insisted that she never wanted children... until Peter that is.

"I two now." Jada said proudly.

"Such a big girl…" Carla sniffed with tears in her eyes. Peter smiled at how emotional Carla was already and as he approached Jada he said,

"Happy Birthday Princess." Jada reached over to hug her Dad and as Carla let go of her she smiled at Simon and said,

"Thanks for bringing her out, we've been waiting for her to wake up for so long."

"No problem." Simon said with half a laugh as his Dad kissed Jada and hugged her tight.

After a lot more cuddles and kisses… and after Jada had admired all of her party decorations. Peter, Carla and Simon took her over to the sofa and placed her on it along with Simba. Jada looked at the coffee table in front of her and shouted with glee,

"Presents!" She had been to quite a few birthday parties in the past and knew that at some point you get presents and as Peter nodded and handed Jada her first gift, Carla ran to get her phone so she could take some pictures.

"This present is from Daddy..." Peter said excitedly as Carla returned with her phone in hand.

"What is it?" Jada asked curiously, staring down at the parcel that had been wrapped in some bright yellow wrapping paper.

"You have to open it silly." Carla said, bending down in front of the coffee table so she was in prime position to take some photos. Peter and Simon were both sat on the sofa at this point with Jada in between them and as Jada began to open her first present, the pair of them began to get a little emotional also.

Neither one of them had imagined being witness to such a special event and as Jada tore the yellow wrapping paper off her first gift, they both looked at each other with tears in their eyes.

Carla was excited because Peter and Simon hadn't told her what they were going to buy for Jada and watched with anticipation as Jada opened the first gift.

"Timon and Pumba!" Jada cried when she realised what had been beneath the wrapping paper, she pulled out two soft toys, one that was a warthog and one that was a Meer cat.

They weren't as big as the Simba soft toy that Peter had bought for Jada two years ago today but Jada still looked overjoyed at them. She then smiled as Carla took a picture on her phone and then she looked down at Simba and said,

"Look Simba, Timon and Pumba…"

"Now Simba has some of his friends to play with when he stays at home." Peter smiled, "Well… on the rare occasion he stays at home that is." He chuckled as Jada kissed Timon and Pumba before squashing them next to her and Simba.

"I dunno… I reckon we're just going to have Timon and Pumba along for the ride now as well as Simba..." Carla laughed as Jada looked down at her newest cuddly toys. Peter reached over and picked up the next present he'd bought Jada and handed it to her saying,

"Here's another one…" Jada excitedly tore the next lot of wrapping paper off her next gift. She discovered that her Daddy had bought her a brand new set of chunky crayons.

The brightly coloured box must have had every colour crayon under the sun in it and also, Peter had bought Jada a brand spanking new princess colouring book because he knew just how much she loved the colouring book she had already, even though it was nearly finished.

"Cool." Simon said, looking impressed as Jada opened the colouring book and marvelled at all those empty pages she now had to colour in. Carla took more photos as Jada was already trying to delve into her new crayons.

"Open it." She said, thrusting the box of crayons towards Peter.

"Hold on Jada." Carla laughed, "You've got more presents to open first." Jada giggled as Peter put the box of crayons down next to him and then picked up the next present he'd bought.

"Ere ya go." He said, handing the rather heavy present over to Jada. This one was a square shaped one and Jada opened it to find four brand new picture books.

"Ooohhh…" Jada said, stroking her new books intrigued. Carla sat on her knees to see which books Peter had bought Jada.

"SuperTato?" Carla said almost laughing at the tittle of one of the books Peter had bought.

"It looks so funny." Simon said nodding, "I helped Dad choose that one." Jada laughed at the picture of the Super Hero Potato and said,

"Look Mummy, He got cape."

"We'll have to read that book later won't we?" Carla said, smiling as Simon nodded too and said,

"Deffo. I wanna hear it too."

Jada opened a lot more presents that were from Peter, including a little pink tablet which she could play and learn with, some bath toys, a Duplo Castle set, a play-doh set, a large floor Lion King puzzle and a Microphone, which lit up and played music.

"Like that one needs a microphone to be loud eh?" Carla teased Peter. He chuckled at her as Simon went to get some scissors so he could open the more difficult boxes because of course, Like most two year olds Jada insisted on having every thing open at once.

"Simon do ya wanna give Jada your gifts next?" Peter asked when Simon returned with some scissors.

"Yep." Simon said as he handed the scissors to his Dad. He reached over to the table and picked up two parcels, one was a long rectangle one and the other was a soft round shape. "Here you go Jada, this is from me."

Jada reached out for the rectangle box first that had been wrapped in Frozen wrapping paper she tore it off and then gasped down at what her big brother had bought for her.

Simon had given Jada a very special Little Mermaid doll, it was quite big more like a Baby sized doll than a Barbie. It had long bright red hair, a sparkling tail and came with her little yellow companion Flounder.

"Ariel!" Jada cried, looking down at the doll in awe, Carla leant forward too and smiled at the precious doll that Jada looked as if she was already in love with.

"Oh Simon that is gorgeous." She said, smiling up at him. He smirked at Carla and said,

"You aint seen nothing yet." He handed Jada her next gift and when she opened it she revealed a green tail… one big enough for her to wear.

"Look!" Jada cried, almost jumping up in the air because she was so excited. "Maymaid dress." Simon helped her pull the dress out of the packaging it came in and it was then that Carla and Peter saw the true beauty of the dress.

It was purple at the top but at the waist began the tail, which went all the way down to the bottom. Before anyone could stop Jada she had clambered off the sofa and was tugging at her Hello Kitty Pyjamas and trying to get them off so she could put on her brand new dress.

"Come ere…" Peter laughed, helping Jada out of her nightclothes as Carla got up and hugged Simon tight.

"It's beautiful." She said as Peter pulled the dress over Jada's head.

"It'll probably be way too big for her but I couldn't resist, I know how much she likes The Little Mermaid." Simon said, smiling as the dress Jada now had on. It was slightly too big for her and was trailing on the floor but Jada didn't care, she looked positively delighted at her outfit and did a twirl before saying,

"Look, Jada a maymaid."

"You look stunning Jada." Carla beamed, bending down and kissing Jada on the head. "What do you need to say to Daddy and Simon for all your lovely presents?"

"Thank you." Jada said, running back towards Peter and Simon again and puckering her lips for a kiss.

"You're more than welcome." Peter nodded, "But look, you've got more presents ere from Mummy, Do you wanna open those now?"

"Yes." Jada nodded excitedly, her eyes wide again when she saw she had even more presents to open.

Carla had already bought a lot of presents for Jada in Los Angeles before they had left but as they were still back in their apartment she decided she had to buy some more for Jada to open in Manchester.

She gave Jada a Minnie Mouse handbag which came full of matching accessories, a Peppa Pig mobile phone, some new hair clips and hair accessories and also a digital camera made especially for toddlers.

"Wow Jada…" Simon said looking Jada's new camera as she finished opening her Birthday Cards, "Now she won't have to keep stealing ours all the time." Peter and Carla chuckled as Jada had become notorious for taking their phones to take pictures of all sorts of things.

"Exactly." Carla said, as Peter started clearing up all the torn wrapping paper. Jada looked at all the presents excitedly not knowing which one to begin with whilst Simon put Jada's birthday cards up on the shelf.

"Right Jada… Daddy's gonna make some pancakes for your birthday okay." Peter said after he'd picked up all of the rubbish.

"Yummy." Jada said, licking her lips in a comical fashion, making her entire family laugh. She was already prising open her new crayons and then called for Simon to come and join her at the table.

Carla watched them both for a while and took a few more photos before joining Peter in the kitchen.

It was very clear to the pair that they were thinking about their rather passionate kiss.

Even though it had happened at least three quarters of an hour ago now, it still had rather a large effect on them both but because Simon and Jada were only sat a little bit away, they knew now wasn't the time to talk about it.

"I hope all those gifts were okay…" Peter eventually said, mixing pancake batter as Carla leant against the work surface next to him.

"Of course they were… Peter they were perfect." Carla said truthfully, She was smiling at Peter fondly and as he put the bowl of pancake batter down on the work surface

"I errr… well I didn't want to buy anything too big… y'know… cause you ave to take it all back to L.A n stuff." Peter said, his voice broke as he spoke and it made Carla stand up straight and shake her head,

"Peter…" She began, her throat growing dry. She also looked as if she was about to apologise for something.

"No." He said shaking his own head. "Let's not do that… let's not talk about what's to come… let's just focus on today eh... Please..." He smiled this time and looked over at Jada and Simon who were now opening her brand new camera.

"Okay…" Carla nodded. What else could she do? Peter smiled weakly as he went into his cupboard and pulled out a frying pan to cook the pancakes with. As he placed it on the stove and got some oil he said,

"I can imagine you've got some pretty great pressies for Jada in L.A though…"

"I bought her a Kitchen." Carla said, half smiling and half wanting to cry because she knew that Peter was never going to see this rather humongous play kitchen she'd bought Jada.

"Really?" Peter asked as he poured a splash of oil into the pan. "I bet she's gonna love that."

"Yeah, I hope so..." Carla said quietly.

She remained quiet for quite a long time after that her mind too busy going over their unclear future to talk much.

She offered Peter some help but he insisted on making the pancakes alone and as Carla sat down at the dining table, she tried to do what Peter said and not think about what was to come.

Unfortunately for Carla that was impossible, especially when her phone began ringing, just as Simon had brought Jada over to the table for breakfast.

Carla looked down at the screen of her phone to see that it was her boss phoning her so she very quickly picked it up and answered it.

"Hello…" She said cautiously. Simon and Peter watched whilst Jada tucked straight into her pancakes that had been covered in syrup and chocolate sauce. "Oh right… No I haven't had a chance yet… Wow… erm… okay… Well I'll read it n… let you know… if that's okay, It's Jada's birthday today so…"

Peter and Simon continued to watch Carla closely as she looked a little surprised to hear about something on the phone.

"Yes… Yes I will… Tomorrow night at the latest… Okay… bye." Carla hung up her phone and looked up to see Simon and Peter watching her. She smiled at them and then rolled her eyes saying, "That were just me boss."

"Calling from L.A?" Simon asked looking surprised as he picked up his knife and fork, ready to start on his own pancakes.

"Yeah isn't it like one am there?" Peter said as Carla tapped on her phone and opened up her emails.

"Yeah it is… he said he waited that late because he wanted to call me at a decent time…" She said, opening on the email her boss had sent and holding her breath.

"What did he want?" Peter asked, watching a nervous Carla and wondering if that was her Boss demanding that she come back to work.

"Oh he just said he'd sent me some important emails yesterday that he really needed me opinion on and he wanted to check I'd got them…" Carla shrugged casually, she reached out for the glass of juice that Peter had poured for her earlier on and took a large sip of it.

"Oh right, Guess it must be important if he's willing to call you at that time eh." Peter said, smiling at Carla although he wasn't completely convinced. He began eating his pancakes along with Jada and Simon, Whilst Carla began reading the important email that he boss had sent.

In a nutshell her boss had written that she was a huge asset to his company and during the time she had been gone, they realised that they really couldn't cope without her.

Her boss had written that he was desperate for Carla's return and since she had originally said it would be around the sixteenth or seventeenth of December, he wondered if she would still be back for then because he wanted to offer her a rather large promotion.

One that meant a lot more responsibilities and a hell of a lot more money.

One that meant a whole new career could be open to Carla and one that she knew she'd enjoy the catch was that she'd had to be back before Christmas to get all the paper work done and dusted before the new year.

"Everything alright?" Peter asked after watching Carla's expression as she finished the email the second time around.

"Yeah…" She nodded slowly. She was lying of course but she was hardly going to tell Peter what she had just been offered. "That email were just a lot to get me head around that's all."

"Do you have to reply to it right now?" Peter asked, grinning over at Jada who had chocolate sauce smeared all over her cheeks.

"No…" Carla said, unable to refrain from smiling at Jada even though this email had unsettled her. "I can reply tomorrow."

"Ahh that's good then…" Peter nodded.

"Yeah…" Carla smiled back as best she could, she picked up her knife and fork and began eating the pancakes Peter had made for her, hoping they would take her mind off her boss' email.

She had no idea what she was going to reply or do.

Tomorrow was the fifteenth of December, a flight to L.A was around thirteen or so hours which meant she didn't have long to decide.

This job offer was something truly amazing and also something that Carla would never normally turn down but as she sat at the breakfast table with Peter, Simon and Jada, she wasn't entirely sure anymore that she could turn a life with them down either.


	20. Lego House

Carla tried her very best to not think about the job offer her boss had just offered her.

Instead she tried hard to just concentrate on her little girl's birthday.

This was easy enough at first. When Simon, Peter and Jada were sat at the breakfast table with her, eating pancakes and chatting about everything and anything but then Peter eventually said to Simon that it was about time he got ready for school. Simon was reluctant to do so and tried his very best to try and get the day off but Peter insisted that Simon had to go as school was very important.

Simon sighed and walked towards his bedroom so he could get ready, shortly after that Peter picked a very sticky Jada up to give her a bath and Carla was left all alone with her impending career options once again.

Normally Carla would never turn such an amazing opportunity down, had she been back in L.A she would have said yes immediately to more responsibilities and more money but of course she wasn't in L.A.

She was in Weatherfield and since being back in Weatherfield, everything had changed.

In the beginning, whilst on the plane to Manchester, Carla would never have dreamed that at this point she'd be sat at her old dining table in such a dilemma. After all, she had planned to be in Los Angeles by now. She would never have dreamed that she'd get ever hugged goodbye by Simon the she did before he left for school and she definitely would never have dreamed that just a mere few hours ago she would have been kissing Peter again.

Peter.

Going back to L.A for this spectacular new job meant that she and Jada would be leaving him behind… and Simon… and the rest of the Barlows too.

It had always been part of Carla's plan to leave Manchester in the next few days, ever since she had first arrived Carla knew that this wasn't going to be permanent. She had pushed the very thought of leaving in the back of her mind and told herself that when the time came for her to start planning it properly, She'd be okay.

She told herself that she would have probably have her fill of Weatherfield after just a few days of being there. After all, the horrible memories that Weatherfield held for Carla were ones that she was glad to live so far away from. She was totally sure that after two weeks she would be itching to get back on a flight to America but now the time had actually come, Carla wasn't too sure if she had the bottle to do it.

Upon arriving in Manchester Carla was sure Peter would hate her. She was sure he would probably have found someone else by now and that he would resent her for taking Jada away and Carla was sure that this meant she wouldn't need to worry about falling for Peter again... not that she had ever got over him that is.

It didn't take too long for Carla to realise that she was foolish to try and ignore her feelings for Peter and now as she was sat at their old dining table she couldn't seem to take her mind off of him.

Even though there were still a lot of issues she and Peter had not talked about, Carla couldn't quite get to grips with the idea of living without him and Simon, she tried to imagine going back to her beautiful apartment in California and the thought of it suddenly being just her and Jada made Carla feel miserable.

Instead she thought about the rather passionate kiss that she and Peter had shared earlier on that day. She didn't know quite how long it had lasted but what she knew was that it was a kiss full of unadulterated love.

Carla couldn't help but feel that had Simon and Jada hadn't of been there this morning that her and Peter's kiss would probably have led to something else ... something that probably would have taken place in the bedroom and as Peter ventured out of the bathroom with little Jada wrapped in a towel singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Carla felt her cheeks grow hot and tried not to make it obvious what she was thinking about.

"So…" Peter said with a cheery expression as he carried a beaming Jada over to the sofa. "What shall we do today then?" He asked, assuming Carla was listening to him and not noticing she was almost lost in thought. "Carla… Earth to Carla!" Peter called, suddenly waving a hand in her face, he had left Jada on the sofa who was playing with her brand new Little Mermaid Doll and was now stood right in front of Carla, bent over at her level and trying to get her attention.

"What?" She asked almost in a daze, looking as if she had been snapped right out of some sort of wistful daydream.

"I said…" Peter began, standing up right and looking slightly amused. "What should we do with Jada today? We've got a lot of time to kill before her party later."

"Oh…" Carla said, nodding slowly and sheepishly. She shrugged her shoulders and looked at the time. It was almost nine am now and as Jada's party didn't start until four, Peter was right, they really did have a lot of time to kill.

"Why don't we ask the birthday girl eh?" Peter smirked, walking back over to Jada who was still wrapped in the fluffy white towel that Peter had wrapped her in. He and Carla had made many plans for her actual party tonight, but as for up until that point they had planned nothing.

Carla got up off the chair she was sat on and walked over to the sofa as Peter sat down next to a still singing Jada and asked,

"Jada what do you want to do today?" Jada was still playing with her new dolly and didn't even bother to look up at her Dad as she stopped singing and said an enthusiastic,

"Play... play with toys."

"Yes…" Peter chuckled as Carla sat down on the sofa too. She pulled Jada onto her lap and kissed her on the cheek lovingly as Peter then said, "But what else? We can do anything you want… we can go swimming, to the playground…"

"We could go Shopping… You like shopping don't you Jada?" Carla added with a wicked grin, knowing that Peter rather detested shopping, especially this close to Christmas.

"Shopping..." Jada beamed, nodding and smiling up at her Mother, looking so much like her that Peter almost couldn't bear it.

"Shopping…" He half groaned out of habit but then he had a sudden and brilliant brainwave. "Hey I know... how about we go to the Trafford Centre? We could take Jada to the aquarium in there and they've got that Lego Discovery place… She'll love it."

"She would…" Carla nodded slowly, looking down at Jada who was still sitting happily on her lap with her brand new dolly in her clutches. "Okay… let's do it… Although I reckon Simon will be pretty gutted that we've gone without him."

"Ahhh don't worry about Si…" Peter said smiling, "I mean yeah he'll be sad but he'll also be happy that we've all had a good time." Carla smiled back at him and bent down towards Jada saying,

"Jada do you want to go and see some fish?"

"Fish?" Jada asked, putting Ariel the mermaid down and looking puzzled as she gazed around the flat as if she was expecting some fish to pop out of the Christmas Tree.

"Not ere monkey." Peter laughed, ruffling Jada's damp hair, she giggled cutely as Peter then poked her on the nose and said, "In the Aquarium."

"Quarium…" Jada repeated, she thought for a moment and looked as if she was trying to figure out what that word actually meant. "No Quarium Ta Daddy Mummy." Jada eventually said, shaking her head and going back to her doll.

"Does she know what an Aquarium is?" Peter asked amused, looking at Carla for a response. "Has she been to one before?"

"Yeah but she was about one when I took her." Carla said smiling, she knew what to do next, she knew she only had to mention one name and then Jada would be totally sold.

"They've got lots of fish at the Aquarium..." Carla began, "Nemo's at the Aquarium Jada." She then added with a knowing smile.

That was it.

"Nemo!" Jada cried excitedly, so excitedly that Jada almost jumped right out of Carla's lap.

"Yes Jada, Nemo and Dory and Marlin." Carla said nodding, "Do you wanna go and see them?"

"Nemo!" Jada shouted again, still bobbing up and down wildly.

"I think that's a yes then." Peter laughed as Carla settled Jada back onto her lap.

"I think it is…" Carla smiled, she hugged Jada tight for a moment and couldn't help but let her eyes travel back over to a extremely happy Peter.

He looked so comfortable with his current lifestyle, so pleased and so content that Carla couldn't help but beam back at him.

Their relationship really had come on leaps and bounds now but still... Carla couldn't be sure that staying in Manchester was an option.

There were still so many parts about staying in Weatherfield that petrified her and Carla couldn't bear the idea of things going wrong.

To lose this current relationship she had with Peter right now was the idea of Carla's worst nightmare.

She imagined a life where she and Jada had moved back to the U.K. She thought about what might happen if things didn't go well with Peter and if they ended up breaking up again.

She imagined having to move out again and living on the same street as Peter but not being able to talk to him in the friendly and comfortable way she had been doing lately. She imagined it being hard for Jada to have her parents living apart and in bad terms with each other.

That was not a life she wanted for Jada... no way. Tears pricked Carla's eyes as she thought the worst. She was already feeling majorly sensitive today as it was Jada's birthday and the way Peter was sat so full of joy before her only made her feel even more emotional.

She couldn't do this... not today at least... she couldn't let Peter realise what she was thinking about but she knew how easy it was for him to get information out of her and all it would take would be for him to ask questions before she started telling him all about her boss's proposition.

She knew once he found out about the job she'd been offered it would be the thought of her leaving all back and she didn't want that... not today

"Car... are you okay love?" Peter asked in a concerned fashion. He had been watching her closely and couldn't work out if she was just in another day dream or if she was genuinely worried about something.

"Yeah… course." Carla said with a nod, she sniffed as she stood up with Jada in her arms and said, "Me n Jada are going to get ready okay?"

"Alright." Peter nodded, looking over at the kitchen and deciding he'd tidy it up whilst he waited as he knew it would only take him a few minutes or so to get ready compared the Carla and Jada. He watched as Carla walked towards the bedroom with Jada in her arms and even though he was slightly worried because he knew that something was up with Carla, he knew that today was going to be a truly wonderful day.

Carla and Jada were ready about fifteen minutes or so later. Carla had applied some light make up and just pulled on a pair of flat black boots as she had already been dressed before going into the bedroom but Jada was now fully dressed and ready to go.

Looking adorable in a little denim shirt-dress and a pair of black woolly tights, Jada had on her mini UGG boots and Carla had tied her hair into two ponytails using some white glittery was smiling as she walked out of the bedroom with her Mum and as they walked side by side, Peter couldn't help but feel his heart ache at the sight of them.

"Don't you look beautiful…" He said grinning as Jada and Carla walked over to him, Jada was clutching both Simba and her mermaid doll as she walked, clearly loving her newest present from her big brother. "You look beautiful too Jada." Peter then added with a wink which made Carla blush slightly.

He was already wearing his black winter coat and had his car keys in hand as Carla turned the TV off. She took one look at the heavily decorated flat around her as Peter took the opportunity to turn off the Christmas Tree lights.

He then pulled Jada's black suede jacket off a hook beside him and bent down so he could put it on her as Carla retreated back to the bedroom to find her phone, when she returned back into the living room, She saw Peter waiting with her leather jacket in his hands.

"Thanks…" Carla said as she walked towards Peter, he gestured for her to turn around and as he helped her put her jacket on, Jada watched and giggled excitedly because she adored seeing her Mummy and Daddy getting along so well.

"We going Nemo now?" Jada eventually asked, staring up at her parents and forcing them to divert their gaze from each other, down to her.

"Yes we are…" Carla nodded, pulling her long hair out of her jacket so it rested on top of it instead. "Do ya wanna leave Simba n Ariel here? We don't want them to get lost do we Jada?"

"No." Jada said plainly, she shook her head and lifted up Simba and Ariel to show that she had a tight grip on them both. "They not get lost… I hold them… promise."

"They might…" Carla began but she saw the way Jada was looking pleadingly up at her and Peter and new that she couldn't go against it. "Alright then… lets go."

* * *

Jada had a fantastic day at the Trafford Centre. She thoroughly enjoyed going to the SeaLife Aquarium and was truly mesmerised by the large amount of Sea Creatures that were on offer.

A good few hours were spent inside the Aquarium and Jada especially liked the tropical fish tank and as soon as she saw a clown fish bobbing back and forth in the water, she ran back and forth along with it shouting out,

"Nemo… Hello Nemo… Nemo... Hello…"

The Aquarium was rather empty due to it being a weekday but the few people in there smiled fondly at Jada because she really was cute and one old couple even stopped Carla and Peter to say how beautiful they thought Jada was.

"Thank you." Peter smiled back at them as Carla bent down and proudly picked Jada up.

"Then again… you're all beautiful." The old woman said smiling enthusiastically, "You're a very attractive family."

"Thanks a lot." Carla said smiling appreciatively at the old couple as they waved at Jada and began to walk off. "Aww weren't they nice?"

"They're right though… we are pretty gorgeous." Peter said with a grin, earning a playful nudge from Carla as they walked towards the Aquarium gift shop. After buying Jada a few little extra birthday gifts from the shop and a pen for Simon so he didn't feel too left out, Carla and Peter decided to get some lunch before taking Jada to the Lego Centre.

"Where do you want to eat?" Carla asked Jada as they walked towards the food court of the shopping centre, Jada looked up and around her and pointed at the first logo she recognised, still holding onto Simba and Ariel like she had promised.

"Pizza!" She cried excitedly, pointing up at the Pizza Hut sign that wasn't too far from them. Carla and Peter both nodded as Jada was the birthday girl and they wanted to keep her happy.

After sharing a large Pizza, Carla, Peter and Jada made their way towards the Lego Discovery centre. Neither Carla nor Peter had expected to have so much fun in a place made mainly for children. After walking into the centre straight away they spotted a little ride, which enabled them to shoot lasers at some Lego villains, which would appear on a screen.

"Oh we ave to ave a go at this..." Peter said, his big brown eyes wide with excitement as they approached the entrance to the ride, looking so much like Jada as he was genuinely excited to get on the ride.

Once on the ride, Jada sat squashed in between her Mum and Dad. She wasn't too sure what a "ride" was and looked curious as they waited for it to began. Carla did wonder if their her girl might get a little bit scared but Jada proved that she wasn't scared in the slightest.

Instead she squealed happily as she held the gun and shot lasers in all sorts of different directions, she had no real idea what she was supposed to do but it didn't matter because Peter was taking the ride seriously enough for all three of them which Carla found hilarious.

He made sure he hit every single villain as he could and after a picture was taken of Carla, Peter and Jada, the ride ended. Peter jumped up quickly and looked down so he could check his score.

"Yes!" Peter cried triumphantly, "I did pretty well there, I reckon that's top marks."

"Oh get out the way will ya?" Carla cried, still amused as she and Jada couldn't get off the ride until Peter did. "Ya big kid." He chuckled as he got out of the chariot that they had been riding in.

"Again." Jada said excitedly, "Go on again!" She asked as Carla and Peter both started walking away from the ride to see what else there was to do.

"Maybe later." Carla said pointing ahead of them at the bustling Lego Centre, "There are lots of other things to do ere Jada."

"Yeah come on love…" Peter encouraged pointing over at what looked like a slide. "Look at that." Jada's eyes followed Peter's and spotted what he was pointing at. She then ran over to it excitedly and followed by her Mum and Dad she clambered to get onto the slide. Carla and Peter watched as Jada had endless amounts of fun, she went on the tunnel slide again and again.

* * *

"This was such a brilliant idea Peter." Carla said as Jada had settled in a large play area surrounded with some large Duplo bricks. She was building a tower as Carla and Peter sat at a table on two chairs in a seating area. Carla was smiling over at Jada who was sat crossed legged and totally engrossed in what she was doing as Peter nodded and said,

"It was wasn't it… although I only thought of it because you mentioned going shopping and I thought of the many places we could end up... I had images of walking around carrying you n Jada's bags all day before I thought of ere n the Aquarium."

"Don't think you've dodged that bullet just yet Barlow?" Carla grinned, turning her attention to Peter, they had both purchased a coffee each and had been sipping it as Jada seemed content to play in the play area on her own. "There's still plenty of time to hit the shops."

"That's true..." Peter chuckled, He looked over at Jada who still had Simba and Ariel with her and was incorporating them into her game. "Although I reckon we're going to have a real hard time getting our little Angel out of ere before the shops shut." Carla laughed as she looked back over to Jada and shook her head.

When she returned her gaze to Peter she saw her was watching her and she knew what was coming next.

"What was you thinking about earlier?" He asked with his head on one side. Carla shook her head slightly and very quietly said,

"Nothing much..."

"Nothing much..." Peter repeated unconvinced.

"Yeah... it's not important Peter... what's important is today... Jada's day." Carla said with a truly genuine smile, one that made Peter feel at ease for now. "She looks like she's having so much fun... that's what's important."

"Yeah..." Peter nodded slowly, "I've had fun too... a lot of fun actually. I'm really glad we did this..." Peter said looking so heartfelt that Carla was sure that he wasn't just talking about today.

"Me too…" Carla eventually nodded, she smiled at Peter lovingly and sighed lightly before she rested her hands on the table. Peter looked down at them and thought about resting his hands there too and then maybe he could take hold of them. He was just about to do so when he then heard the sound of Jada calling him,

"Dadda come here…" She said, pointing because she had built her tower so tall and she could no longer reach the top of it. "Help."

"Coming…" Peter said with a slight hint of reluctance as he left the table. He smiled at Carla and walked over to Jada to help her with the tower she had built.

After building together for a while longer, Jada and Peter both called Carla over to help them with what was starting to look like a house. Carla smiled as she was made to get down on her hands and knees and help Jada and Peter with their building. Ten minutes later and their house was finally complete.

It had been made with all sorts of different coloured bricks and even though it wasn't that much taller that Jada, she smiled proudly at it and said,

"Lego House... we live there..." She pointed at Carla and then said, "Mummy, Daddy, Jada and Simon's house!"

"It's a bit small love..." Peter chuckled, getting his phone out to take a picture of their handy work. Jada giggled too and looked down at Ariel and Simba instead.

"Kay..." She said nodding precociously, "This lego house be Simba and Ariel house stead."

"Good idea." Carla said smiling as Jada picked up her toys and placed them next to the house. After a mini photo shoot in front of the house, Carla and Peter then took Jada over to see all the different towns and buildings that were made out of Lego and after spending a long time staring at the miraculous creations, there was something else that caught Jada's eye.

"Look!" She said in awe, watching a whole load of children dressed in a plaid school uniform driving around a road in some cars that were made to look like Lego. "Driving cars..." Jada added watching the children who must have been on a school trip as they all drove in the same direction.

Some of them crashed into corners and walls whilst others drove perfectly. Jada looked totally amazed by the sight of these children who seemed as if they weren't that much older than her driving and pointed excitedly before saying,

"My turn, My turn."

"I don't think you're old enough for that darlin." Carla said, bending down and shaking her head at Jada. Peter laughed and shook his head as he said,

"N I'd say that's a good thing… what with the way you drive n all."

"Cheek." Carla said as she stood up, poking her tongue out at Peter whilst Jada didn't seem to understand why she wasn't being taken closer to the cars so she could have a turn and drive one.

"Mummy… Jada turn." Jada moaned tugging on her mother's leg and of course not noticing that she was interrupting a rather flirtatious moment between her two parents. Peter stopped smiling alluringly at Carla and looked down at Jada instead,

"You have to be four years old Jada to drive…" He began, "and you're only two love…"

"My turn..." Jada said not understanding as Peter took her by the hand and tried to steer her away from the cars.

"Sorry Jada... you can't have a turn." Carla said, she was holding Simba and Ariel at this point because Jada had let go of them when she had first seen the cars.

"Ohhhh!" Jada cried, she stamped her foot and shook her head as it looked as if she wouldn't be driving after all. Peter watched as his little girl looked slightly heartbroken and then said,

"How about we go on that laser ride again eh?"

"No." Jada said, stamping her feet once again.

"Oh come on, you loved it... we can shoot all those naughty baddies again... and we forgot to buy the picture so we have to get another one... Do you want to take a picture in the ride with Mummy and Daddy so we can show Simon?" Peter asked in a very persuasive tone. One that was so persuasive that Jada agreed in the end and they got back onto the laser ride, this time there were children from the school trip there and they had challenged Peter to see who could get the highest score, him or their teacher.

As the ride started, Carla was once again in fits of laughter because Peter now had a bunch of school kids to compete with, they were all shouting to each other and cheering their teacher on on whilst simultaneously booing Peter in a comical fashion. Due to this competition Peter missed the photo opportunity which led to them getting back on the ride for the third time and making sure they were ready for the camera part when it came.

Carla and Peter both purchased the amusing photo of the three of them on the ride once it was over and Jada kept asking to see it as their day went on.

The three of them wondered about the Lego Centre for another hour or so, spent even more money in the shop and then decided they needed to make their way back home to get ready for Jada's party.

* * *

After arriving back home, Carla and Peter had managed to get a very lively Jada to fall asleep and have a nap.

Ignoring the obvious chemistry between each other, they both worked hard to stay away from each other and to finish getting the flat ready. They laid out the special Lion King tablecloths on the dining and coffee table and then placed lots of party food on top of it.

Sausages rolls, mini pizzas, Sandwiches, Quiches, crisps, fairy cakes, biscuits, chicken dippers, breadsticks, salad... you name Carla and Peter had it laid out on the food table ready for the party guests which were due to arrive soon.

Simon, who had been at school all day had been dying to get home from the moment he had left in the morning. His mind had been on his Dad, His Step Mum and his little sister all day. He couldn't wait to hear what they had gotten up to and was sure that his Dad was going to be in an extremely good mood when he got back.

Sure enough Simon was right, he walked into his home to find his Dad stood in the kitchen finishing up with the rest of the party food. There was music playing loudly from a speaker in the kitchen and Carla was stood nearby smiling down at something on her phone. He could tell by their relaxed nature that they had a great day together and he couldn't wait to find out more.

"Hi Simon." Carla beamed as he closed the door behind him. Peter turned around and greeted Simon too as he approached them and said.

"Hi… where's the birthday girl then?"

"Asleep." Carla replied, "I'm gonna wake her up soon though, people will start arriving and we can't have the birthday girl fast asleep at her own party can we?"

"I take it Jada had a busy day then?" Simon asked, pulling off his coat and going to hang it up with the others.

"She sure did." Peter said, carrying another plate of Sandwiches over to the table with all the food on. "Aquarium and Lego Centre."

"Awww…" Simon groaned, "I'm dead jealous, I love the Lego centre." Carla smiled as she walked over to her bag and pulled out some of the gifts they had bought him earlier on that day. She handed them to him and as he opened them, Simon asked more about their day before saying thank you for the gifts that he had been bought.

Soon after that, Carla decided it was time to go and wake Jada up. She crept into the bedroom at three forty five and sat gently down on the bed where Jada was curled up with Simba next to her and her thumb in her mouth.

"Jada…" Carla said shaking her daughter ever so gently. "Wakey wakey… it's party time." Jada stirred gently and rubbed her eyes before opening them and yawning. Normally she would try to resist being woken up but the word party had sparked her interest. "Hello darlin…" Carla said when Jada sat up. She looked at Jada's slightly messy hair and her creased dress and said, "Come on monkey, let's get ready for your party shall we?"

* * *

"So…" Simon said, sitting down next to his Dad who had sat down on the sofa. They had just finished putting out the last bits of food and had also been busy getting all the Lion King cups and plates ready too.

"So what?" Peter asked Simon cheerily, he looked at the clock and saw that it was almost four o'clock and that people would be arriving soon.

"How was your day?" Simon asked smiling wickedly, remembering the kiss he had walked in on this morning and making it obvious that he remembered it by looking over at the spot in the kitchen where he had caught his Dad and Carla mid kiss.

"Perfect…" Peter began, "I mean except for the fact you weren't there of course." Simon smiled at his Dad and nodded before saying,

"And... ave you n Carla kissed again at all?" Simon looked pretty pleased with himself as he asked this question and looked unconvinced when his Dad shook his head and said,

"No."

"Oh come on…" Simon began but Peter once again said,

"No Si… we aven't kissed again... and I don't think we should be kissing to be honest..."

"Why?" Simon asked, frowning this time as he watched his Dad get up off the sofa and walk towards the kitchen.

"Because… It's not really appro…" Peter began, clearing his throat but he was stopped mid sentence when the bedroom door opened.

Carla and Jada both appeared hand in hand and dressed in brand new outfits and it was a sight so beautiful that Peter stopped walking and stared.

Jada was now dressed in a pale pink top with long sleeves that had small sliver stars on. She was also wearing a pink tutu like skirt, which was covered in glitter. Underneath she was wearing a pair of white tights and a pair of pink ballet shoes and her hair had been brushed and held back from her face with a pink Alice band.

"Wow…" Peter breathed looking down at Jada before then turning his gaze to Carla.

"Jada you look beautiful." Simon said, walking over to his little sister and taking her hand whilst his Dad was still slightly transfixed by Carla and her appearance.

She had changed out of her casual jeans and T-Shirt combo that she'd had on earlier and was now wearing a slinky black T-Shirt dress that had a high neck and stopped just above her knees.

The dress was a perfect fit and as Carla walked past Peter to get her phone, his eyes followed her all the way, he also smelt the alluring smell of the perfume he had always loved and couldn't help but take a very sharp breath.

Carla had also brushed her own hair and left it hanging down either side of her shoulders. She had a little more make up on now not that she needed it of course and she knew that Peter was watching her as she picked up her phone and tried not to smile to obviously as Simon smirked and let go of Jada's hand.

"Look at me and Mummy, Daddy." She said, doing a little twirl as she showed off her new shoes and skirt.

"You both look absolutely stunning." Peter said, bending down and picking Jada up off the ground so he could give her a kiss. He turned to look at Carla once more who had her phone in her hand because she wanted to take probably the one thousandth picture of Jada that day. "Spose I better go n spruce me self up then eh?" Peter said grinning as Carla took a photo of him and Jada.

"You look pretty fine to me…" She winked as Peter put Jada down, she ran towards her little corner of toys and began delving into it leaving her parents in a rather heated exchanged with Simon slowly making his way towards his bedroom.

"Cheers..." Peter said, almost unable to speak after being on the receiving end of Carla's wink. "But I reckon I'll still go n change, can't let the side down eh?"

"Don't be too long... okay." Carla said with a tone of bossiness to her voice, one that had Peter nodding and walking towards his bedroom, he was met at the door by a totally thrilled looking Simon who rolled his eyes and whispered,

"Bet you've changed your mind about kissing now eh?"

"Get in there." Peter hissed playfully pushing his cheeky son towards his own bedroom. Simon laughed silently as he and his Dad went their separate ways so they could get ready for the party.

* * *

 _ **If you don't follow me on twitter you won't know that I've had more Macbook related issues...**_

 _ **Anywho it's all fixed once again and I am so pleased to get this update finally on here.**_

 _ **Please leave a review if you enjoyed it!**_

 _ **:)**_


	21. Can You Feel The Love Tonight?

Jada's party couldn't have got off to a more perfect start…

People arrived to Twelve A Rosamund Street either early or bang on time and by four fifteen on December fourteenth, all the guests that had been invited to Jada's party were piled into Peter's flat to celebrate her second birthday.

There was the Barlow's of course and they had arrived to Jada's party first.

Ken, Tracy and Amy seemed very impressed with the decoration of the flat and praised Carla and Peter for the truly wonderful job they had done.

Next to arrive at the party was David and Kylie, with their little girl Lily. Jada and Lily had never met in their life but they made friends instantly and were soon running around the flat throwing balloons at each other and squealing excitedly.

Fizz and Tyrone arrived very soon after that with their two children Hope and Ruby and it wasn't long before they were also running happily around the flat with Jada and Lily, trying to catch balloons and dancing away to the music that was playing.

Maria came to the party, along with her son Liam and then Steve and Michelle turned up too, both with presents in hand and both very eager to see the birthday girl who had already been spoilt enough today without all of the presents she had been receiving from everyone.

The last to arrive at the party was Roy and he actually did bring Cathy along like Carla had suggested. This act surprised her a little but it also made her happy to see that even Roy wasn't going to be alone during the festive season and maybe even beyond that.

Now, had you of asked Peter a month ago if he thought that anything of the sort would have been happening in his very flat, he would have laughed sarcastically and said

 _"Yeah right"_

Only a mere four weeks later and now he couldn't imagine spending his little girls birthday in any other way.

He had watched with pride as Jada practically bounced around the living room in her glittery skirt and he had watched as she said a very excited,

"Hello" to each person who had arrived at her very special Lion King themed birthday party.

There was a Disney film playlist playing from a set of speakers in the corner and it was clear that Jada was thrilled to hear some of her favourite songs being played at her party because she sang along loudly and danced around the room in an adorable fashion which made everyone smile broadly.

Peter could swear his little girl hadn't stopped smiling since her party had started and had watched when Jada was handed a present by each person who had entered her party.

He watched as she excitedly tore open the wrapping paper to see what was beneath it.

Jada didn't even need to be prompted to say thank you to those who had brought her presents, she offered hugs and kisses to those who had given her some very thoughtful gifts, which made Peter feel even more proud of his daughter and as he beamed down at her, he couldn't help but feel slightly emotional.

Of course, he wasn't the only emotional one at the party...

After the arrival of all the party guests, Peter's flat was pretty much full to the brim, there weren't enough seats for everyone as Peter only had an armchair and a sofa to sit on but no one seemed to care and watched with pleasure as Jada's party got into full swing.

Carla showed off a bag once everyone had arrived, which was full of lots of special animal headbands. Jada shrieked with laughter as she was handed the bag and went around choosing exactly which pair of wild animal ears to give to each of her party guests.

Very soon the room was filled with Lions, Elephants, Tigers, Leopards, Zebras, and Giraffes an after making sure everyone at her party had on a pair of animal ears, Jada had chosen Elephant ears for her self and also for Simon but surprisingly she had insisted that her parents wore a pair of matching of Giraffe ears instead.

"You and Daddy ones." Jada nodded as she thrust two pairs off Giraffe ears towards Carla who had been stood in a corner of the room talking to Michelle, She had been given a pair of Zebra ears to wear only a minute or so ago and was placing them on her head as Jada spoke.

"Oh really…" Carla moaned in a jokey fashion, "I wanted to be a Leopard Jada…" Jada giggled at her Mum and showed her the almost empty bag as she said,

"No more left, sorry Mummy…" She then pointed over at her Dad and said, "That one for Daddy."

"Go on then Carla..." Michelle said, smirking as she nudged Carla towards Peter.

He was stood in the kitchen in mid conversation with Steve and Tyrone when from behind he felt Carla's soft hands touch his shoulders.

Before Peter could say or do anything other than turn around to face Carla, She had gently placed a pair of Giraffe ears on his head.

Both of her hands then ran down the back of Peter's head and only for a moment did they rest there before Carla let go of him.

She didn't say anything to Peter at all during this somewhat electric exchange, She just smirked at him deliciously before turning back around and sauntering back to Michelle.

Peter was quiet for a moment and took the small amount of time to relive the irresistible look Carla had just given him whilst Steve and Tyrone both watched with rather comical expressions.

"You alright there Peter?" Tyrone asked with a grin. Tyrone's question had snapped Peter out of his Carla related daydream and made him nod quickly and say,

"Yeah fine."

"You sure?" Steve asked with a raised eyebrow, Tyrone took a sip of the coffee had been previous drinking and watched as Peter nodded again and said,

"Of course mate. I'm just happy that's all."

"I'd say you look more than happy." Tyrone replied which made Steve chuckle and say,

"Yeah, In fact I'd say you look like a right love sick puppy."

"Love sick?" Peter replied, rolling his eyes and shaking his head, even though Steve was probably one hundred per cent right about the way Peter was feeling about Carla right now and vice versa.

"Oh come on mate, don't even try n deny it… it's totally obvious something is happening between you n Carla." Tyrone said with a nod.

"Yeah it's dead blatant." Steve nodded in unison. "I mean I've seen all those long chats… I've seen ya both ave in the corner of the pub… you can't say there's nothing there mate."

Peter shook his head once again and tried to act as if his and Carla's relationship hadn't shifted a lot closer to what it used to be when they were together and when they were happy, over the past few days.

Unlike Carla, he hadn't actually told anyone about anything that had happened between him and Carla since she had got back.

He hadn't told anyone about the fact that he and Carla had slept together when Jada was in hospital.

He hadn't told anyone about they way they would lean against each other whilst watching the television and how one night they had even sat with their arms around each other just like they used to do way back when and he hadn't told anyone that just earlier on that day, he and Carla had shared a passionate kiss in the very kitchen that they were stood in now.

"See…. He's still not actually denying it." Peter heard Tyrone say and it was then that Simon had arrived in the kitchen, he was putting some left over wrapping paper in the bin and had overheard what Tyrone had just said.

"Denying what?" Simon asked curiously.

Peter knew what was coming, he couldn't stop Steve and Tyrone grinning at each other wickedly and he couldn't stop Steve from saying,

"Your Dad reckons that there is absolutely nothing going on between him n his ex missus…" Peter tutted suddenly at Steve using the word _ex_ to describe Carla because as far as he was concerned Carla was always going to be his wife and when he tutted, both Steve and Tyrone grinned even more because they knew they must be on to something.

"So go on then Si, Tell us. Is he telling us the truth?" Tyrone asked.

Simon, who knew a lot more than Steve and Tyrone could ever imagine, just gave his Dad a quick glance and very rapidly said,

"Sorry… I've gotta go n get the pass the parcel game ready." Simon hastily vacated the kitchen area after that, which obviously left Tyrone and Steve thinking that he was trying to avoid the question and full of more questions and smart comments towards Peter.

Tyrone and Steve were only trying to tease Peter in a friendly way.

They thought their banter was totally harmless but deep down inside Peter was finding it slightly difficult to stay cool.

He felt a sudden sadness when he thought about the fact that in a few days he might not be able to have this conversation at all.

There would be no umming and ahhing about his relationship with Carla cause she'd be gone.

In a few days Carla and Jada could both be thousands of miles away for all he knew and the actual thought of this made Peter roll his eyes and get determined to change the subject.

"Look, as I said, I'm just happy… it's me little girl's birthday… it's nearly Christmas... why wouldn't I be happy?" Peter said and he didn't give Steve or Tyrone a chance to reply because he walked back towards the living room and towards the party.

"You alright son?" Ken asked as Peter stopped nearby the coffee table in a slight state of anguish.

"Yeah…" Peter nodded slowly but he knew Ken had been watching and eventually said, "Steve n Tyrone were just teasing me that's all… about…" He nodded towards a cheery Carla who was in the middle of taking some comical photos with Michelle and their animal ears.

"Oh." Ken nodded, Understanding at once why his son was now looking slightly distressed.

"I am alright Dad… it's just… I dunno… I guess this is it isn't it?" Peter said slowly and sadly for that matter. "After today… everything's going to change."

"What do you mean?" Ken asked, watching Peter who was looking down at Jada. She was standing by her big brother's side and watching what he was doing with a rather large parcel that he had prepared earlier on that day.

"Well… it's Jada's birthday aint it? Carla had always said that she was leaving after that, so…" Peter trailed of with a sad smile as Jada started jumping up and down excitedly and followed Simon who had started gathering all of the other children together.

"Peter, Don't get me wrong… I mean I'm not saying that Carla is going to choose to stay or anything…" Ken began, also watching his Grand Children with a loving smile. "But that was all at the beginning… Things have changed since then… haven't they?" Ken asked with a slightly knowing smile.

Peter tried to look nonchalant for a while but couldn't keep it up for very long, especially when Carla's gaze caught his as she walked over to the table with all the party food and drink on, again nothing was said but as Peter winked over at her and made her grin back at him, Ken raised an eyebrow and said,

"I don't know exactly what has happened between you two…" Peter turned his direction of gaze back to his Dad and rolled his eyes but again he wasn't the slightest bit convincing. "But it's very clear to me… and everyone else for that matter, that you and Carla are madly… madly in love."

"Dad, don't." Peter interrupted, shaking his head as Simon and Amy got everyone organised in a circle on the floor. "I really don't… Scratch that, I… really _can't_ talk about this." Before Ken could say anything else Peter had left the kitchen and joined the group of children who were sat on the floor at his Son's feet reading to play Pass The Parcel.

"You're doing a great job son." Peter said, giving Simon a proud pat on the back as he walked past him.

"Thanks Dad." Simon beamed as he sat down on the floor so he could get the game of Pass The Parcel organised, Amy had been asked to be in charge of the music and was sat by the speakers so she was able to start and stop it easily.

Never in a million years could Peter have imagined himself in this position, watching his oldest child take charge of his youngest child's birthday party rather overwhelmed him and as the game of Pass the Parcel got started, he looked over at Carla who was now also watching the game begin and she also was starting to get rather emotional.

She had been spending most of her time today trying not to think about her boss back in L.A and the opportunity he had offered her but after spending such a pleasant day with Peter and Jada combined with seeing her little girl so happy, Carla really did feel like she could burst into a fresh state of confused tears at any moment.

Like Peter she had been watching Jada having so much fun with Lily, Liam, Ruby and Hope, not to mention she had been watching how much Jada clearly adored her family members and the more Carla stood and watched the scene before her, the more she felt as if she knew what the right decision had to be.

She couldn't go back to L.A… Could she?

"You alright?" said a familiar voice, one that made Carla smile even before she turned to see who was talking.

"Yes…" She said, nodding slowly as she watched Jada who was now sitting on Simon's lap as they played pass the parcel. Carla then turned to Peter with an overcome smile and said, "I'm… fine…"

Peter couldn't help but take a deep breath and sniff as he watched an emotional expression spread over Carla's face.

"Carla…" He said because she actually had tears in her eyes. She turned around and stood in front of Peter with her back to the game so that the other party guests couldn't see that she was almost crying now.

Michelle, Steve, David, Kylie, Fizz, Tyrone and Tracy were all busy watching the game of Pass The Parcel whilst Ken was taking pictures although it wasn't too long before all the adults in the room had their eyes on Carla and Peter instead.

"Hey…" Peter grinned as Carla wiped her eyes and let out a laugh. "What's wrong?"

They didn't notice that _Can You Feel The Love Tonight_ had started playing on the speakers as the game of Pass The Parcel continued in the background, A song choice that Amy and Simon had thought was rather genius given the situation that Carla and Peter were currently in.

"I dunno…" Carla said, still laughing and shaking her head, "I guess I can't believe this is happening… I can't actually believe our little girl is two…" Carla continued with more tears in her eyes, she sniffed as Peter put an arm around her and pulled her close to him.

There was a moment of pure silence between them as they both took advantage of the situation and breathed in deeply.

"I mean…." Carla said into Peter's chest, "It still feels like just yesterday that she were born…"

"I know…" Peter nodded slowly, "It really does."

"It must be worse for you…" Carla added, slowly pulling away from Peter a little and sniffing again, not realising that every adult in the room was watching her and Peter's embrace.

Peter didn't notice either, he had all of his attention focused on Carla who was standing in front of him and he didn't want to do anything to change that.

"It must be worse…" Carla repeated with another sniff, "I mean I've been thinking about it for a while now… n I've had two years with that precious little girl of ours… n you've had what? A few weeks?"

"Carla…" Peter began weakly but she shook her head with tears streaming down her cheeks and said,

"I'm sorry Peter… So sorry… I should ave done more… visited more or something."

"Carla!" Peter said firmly, his voice only slightly rose so that she would listen to him and stop apologising in the frustrating way that she was. "Listen to me… I do not blame you for leaving… I really really don't… You did the right thing… I was a mess… a total car crash… As hard as it was… I needed all of this to happen to be the man I am today."

That was the first time he'd said it.

The first time he'd ever been honest and agreed with Carla that her leaving two years ago really had been the right thing to do.

Carla breathed in as she rested a hand on Peter's chest, she could feel how much his heart was pounding and took another breath before saying,

"Thank you… for everything…" Peter looked slightly confused now and as Carla stared back at him she said, "For letting us stay ere… n… everything…" She paused as she sniffed again and wondered if she should say it.

If she should say what she desperately had wanted to say… Something that she had wanted to say all day long.

"Peter…" Unfortunately, Carla didn't get to say anything. There was a loud shriek from Jada who called,

"Mummy I got Prize! I got prize Look!" Carla turned around to see that Jada had actually got up from her spot on Simon's lap and was waving around the little toy she had won during the game of pass the parcel.

"Wow Jada." Carla said, bending down to see what Jada had won… She felt every adult plus Simon and Amy's eyes on her as she did so but she didn't dare to look at anyone other than Jada.

Peter on the other hand, looked at Steve who had his eyebrows raised so high it was a wonder they hadn't actually left his head.

Amy and Simon were both grinning at each other whilst all of the other adults in the room also tried to hide how amused they were.

"Come on then monkey." Carla said laughing slightly nervously, "Go back n finish the game then." She ushered Jada over to where the other children were sat waiting to have the next turn of the game and once Jada was sat down, Carla very quickly began to sort out some of Jada's gifts just so that she could look busy.

She picked up as many as she could, which had been left in one corner of the flat and took them into the bedroom, which she and Peter had been sharing for the past few days.

She had to make a few trips but eventually Carla had most of Jada's presents rested on the bed and as she sat amongst the books, dolls, dressing up outfits and musical instruments, Carla couldn't help but let another tear fall down her cheek.

"Blimey…" Said a voice, Carla looked up to find Michelle stood in front of her carrying a Frozen puzzle. "You're gonna need to buy another bloomin suitcase to take all of this back to California aren't ya?" Michelle spoke in a jokey fashion but then she saw the tear running down her best friends cheek and looked worried. "Carla… babe…" Michelle said, quickly sitting down on the bed and putting an arm around Carla.

"Ignore me Chelle…" Carla said sighing as she pushed some of the presents Jada had received out of the way so Michelle could get more comfortable. "I'm just way too emotional today that's all."

"Yeah so I noticed…" Michelle smirked, nudging Carla in the side who let out a frustrated laugh. "We all saw you n Peter's little… moment earlier. Me n Fizz were dead convinced you two were gonna start snogging like a pair of teenagers."

"Don't..." Carla cried as Michelle looked down at all of the thoughtful presents Jada had been given and smiled at them, she couldn't help but think that maybe people had chosen these presents specifically because they weren't too big and because they thought that they would be easy for her to maybe pack into a suitcase. "She's got some lovely presents aint she?" Carla said, running a finger across one of the sparkly picture books Jada had been bought by Kylie and David.

"Don't try n change the subject." Michelle grinned as Carla sniffed.

"I kissed Peter this morning…" Carla eventually said, half smiling and half frowning because she was so conflicted as to what to do next.

The plan had always been to leave after Jada's birthday and now Jada's birthday was here, Carla wasn't sure she could do it… but she also wasn't sure she could stay either.

"Did ya?" Michelle asked intrigued.

"Yeah…" Carla nodded slowly, smiling properly now as she remembered her and Peter's kiss and what happened after it. "Jada n Simon interrupted it though…" Carla sniffed again and then said, "You should ave seen our Jada's face… she was giggling when she saw us it were so cute… Simon looked pretty pleased about it too."

Carla thought about how happy Jada and Simon seemed to see her and Peter kissing and she couldn't help but feel sad again because for that moment, Simon and little Jada probably felt as if they were finally part of a proper family.

"Bless em." Michelle said smiling again, She watched Carla as she ran a hand through her hair and said, "So… what did Peter do to deserve a kiss from you then?"

"What? You mean other than him being a complete and utter dream?" Carla gushed, rolling her eyes because she felt like a lovesick teenager when she spoke about Peter.

Michelle laughed at her best friend who sighed and leant against her shoulder and said, "He were so lovely this morning… All day in fact." Carla smiled reminiscently as she thought about the day she and Peter had spent together and for a while, She and Michelle sat in a companionable silence.

After a good few minutes, Michelle looked at Carla closely and delicately asked,

"So… what's the plan then?"

"The plan?" Carla replied, knowing what Michelle was getting at but still asking anyway because it seemed to delay the inevitable… even if it was only for a few seconds.

"Yeah…" Michelle said sadly, feeling slightly emotional her self as she spoke. "Are you leaving… are you staying? What's happening darlin?" Carla's face dropped as she shrugged and said,

"I… dunno."

"Okay..." Michelle replied slowly as Carla sighed dramatically.

"I don't Michelle… I really don't know… On one hand… these past few weeks have been pretty damn amazing and on the other… do I really want to give up Los Angeles? Don't get me wrong, I miss everyone ere like mad but I adore it there Chelle… n so does Jada, Not to mention I'd be a fool to pass up such an prestigious opportunity."

"Opportunity?" Michelle asked, not knowing anything about the job offer Carla had been made this morning. After Carla had explained everything to Michelle, including how she had decide about the job in the next few days so it could all get sorted before Christmas, Michelle was quiet for a moment, silently going over the information she'd just been told.

"So I'm guessing Peter doesn't know about this job then?" Michelle said looking concerned They were both so caught up in their conversation they didn't notice that someone had been lingering by the bedroom door in silence... Someone who had just heard what Michelle had said.

"No course he doesn't." Carla said shaking her head, "I didn't want to ruin the day for him… but It's such a good job Chelle… I'll be starting in the New Year. I know I'll love it… n the money… I know it's not all about that sort of thing but with that I'd be able to give Jada anything she'd ever want in this world…" Carla said before there was the sound of the door creaking slightly.

She and Michelle both turned around to see if someone was there but when no one seemed to surface, Carla turned back to Michelle sadly and then said,

"Everything but a Dad that is… everything but Peter… What do I do Chelle?" Carla groaned, shaking her head because she was really finding it difficult to make a good decision.

"Carla…" Michelle said shaking her head slowly, "I can't make your decisions for ya… However…" Michelle smirked as Carla folded her arms and sighed, "I would obviously love it if you stayed ere… not to mention Peter n Simon would be over the moon." Carla let a tear dribble down her cheek as she thought about the possibility of staying in Weatherfield.

"But this job does sound amazing Carla… I wouldn't blame ya for leaving." Michelle nodded slowly, She and Carla were still sat on the bed with their backs to the bedroom door, the noise from Jada's party echoed through the flat as Carla shook her head and said,

"How? How am I supposed to leave ere Chelle… How am I supposed to separate Jada from her family?" Carla coughed this time, almost chocking on her tears as she spoke because there were so many. "How can I separate her from her Dad?"

"I ave no idea…" Michelle replied, sniffing because the sight of Carla crying always made her tear up as well.

"I don't think I can do it…" Carla cried, "I can't…" She sniffed again and wiped her nose before saying, "I don't think I can live with out him again..." Michelle nodded, knowing exactly who _him_ was, she put her arm around Carla again and wiped her cheek softly saying,

"Then don't."

"It's not that easy though…" Carla said, detesting how back and fourth this all was. "I say I don't think I can live without him but I also don't know If I can live with him... If I stay ere… If me n Jada stay ere n then things go wrong… what then eh? I don't think I could cope Michelle. I couldn't stay round ere n not be with Peter n I know I couldn't live like we did before… n what about Jada? I've been trying so hard to make sure she has stability to make sure she has a solid home life n stuff… I don't want her to grow up like I did... It wouldn't be fair on her to just move back n forth when things went wrong."

"Darlin…" Michelle said with a tear running down her cheek, "I really don't know what to say ere…" Carla wiped her eyes and sat quietly for a few moments, but after those few moments it was as if she suddenly deciding enough was enough and shook her head stubbornly.

"Y'know what…" She said getting up off the bed and going over to a mirror that was on the wall. She looked in it and wiped the smudged eyeliner away from below her eyelids before readjusting her Giraffe ears on her head so that they say straight. "I'm not going to think about this anymore… Not today. It's Jada's party… I shouldn't be in ere bawling like a baby."

"Carla you can't just ignore…" Michelle began but Carla had already smoothed down her dress and walked towards the bedroom door, sniffing and trying very hard to pretend as if she had just been in an almost uncontrollable state of tears.

"Yes, I can… I'll have a proper think about all of this tomorrow… Come on, Jada will be wondering where we are." Carla said, she gestured for Michelle to follow her out of the bedroom and promised herself she would once again, try not to think about leaving.

After going back into the Living room and pretending that she hadn't been upset, Carla sat down with Jada to finish the game of pass the parcel with her. Peter was stood nearby and watched the game continue, which ended with Ruby as the winner.

As Ruby pulled her prize out of the wrapping paper, a few of the other children at the party started to cry because they hadn't won but Jada just clapped excitedly and cried,

"Yay!" Carla bent her head and kissed Jada on the forehead lovingly for being such a good sport whilst Simon and Amy tried to calm down the other kids and explained that they had some other party games planned.

After a few rounds of musical bumps and pin the tail on the donkey, it was time for the food. Carla and Peter were both so busy handing out plates, cups and party food that they barley had time to speak again on their own. The next time they actually spoke properly was when Carla went into the kitchen to get Jada's birthday cake ready.

"Peter lend us ya lighter will ya?" Carla called, waving Peter over from the corner he'd been stood in with Simon. As he quickly walked over to Carla, he smiled at her but his smile seemed slightly forged and as he handed Carla the lighter she couldn't help but ask,

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah of course." Peter nodded, a little too enthusiastically for Carla's liking.

He was trying very hard to pretend as if he hadn't heard it.

As if he hadn't heard about this amazing opportunity Carla had been given and he tried very to pretend as if he didn't know what she was going to do about it.

Carla watched Peter for a moment but couldn't take too long as Jada had already been sat on the sofa, ready for her surprise cake to be brought over to her.

She was sitting right in the middle with Simba on one side of her and Ariel the mermaid on the other. All the other party guests surrounded the sofa, most of them with their phones in hand so they could take a picture of Jada when it was time, Michelle holding her own one and Carla's, whilst Tracy had been left in charge of Peter's one.

Jada didn't know exactly what she was waiting for but had a very excited look on her face as her parents stood in the kitchen in silence.

"You sure?" Carla asked again suspiciously as she began to light the two candles on Jada's cake.

"I said so didn't I?" Peter replied with a nod. He then turned to Simon who was stood by the light switch and called, "Turn the lights down Si."

With a light tap on the switch, Simon had dimmed the lights in the flat earning a,

"Ohhhh…" from various party guests and a exciting gasp from Jada.

"D'ya wanna do it together then?" Peter said as he went to pick up the specially made Lion King cake. Once again winked at Carla as he spoke and she couldn't help but grin foolishly as she nodded and picked up the cake with Peter.

They both carried it over to the sofa where their adorable little girl was sat in anticipation. As everyone sang _Happy Birthday_ Jada smiled gleefully and clasped her hands together as her cake was held in front of her.

"Look!" She cried when she had realised what was actually on her cake. "Simba!" She exclaimed as she picked up her own Simba and held it near the cake. She peered at the specially made characters and at the delicate trees as Carla, Peter and everyone else continued singing _Happy Birthday._ "Wowwee!"

When they were finished singing and taking photos, Jada just beamed at her cake in awe. she didn't rush to blow out her candles like Carla had thought she would have and in the end, Peter chuckled and said,

"Go on then Jada, Blow out the candles."

"Make a wish baby." Carla said affectionately as she and Peter held the cake before their daughter.

Jada giggled excitedly before leaning forwards and attempting to blow out the candles that were lit in front of her. Then she paused, looking between her Mummy and Daddy for a moment and in a way that made both Carla and Peter's heart melt.

"Go on Jada!" Simon cheered, noticing how it looked as if his little sister really was making a wish. After a few more cheers, Jada eventually blew her candles out.

"Yay." Carla said, leaning forward slightly and kissing Jada on the cheek, Peter did the same and after Jada had received a few more hugs and kisses from her new found friends, She pointed at the cake before her and said,

"My cake."

"Yeah, d'ya want some?" Carla said, standing up as Peter had let go off the cake now. Simon had turned the lights back up and the music back on whilst many of the party guests looked at their photos and the children started messing around with the balloons again.

"Yes pwease!" Jada said, jumping up and down on the sofa. As Carla took the cake over to the kitchen, Peter bent down and picked Jada up. He kissed her once again as he carried her over to the kitchen so she could watch her cake being cut.

"Which bit d'ya want then monkey?" Carla asked as she pulled a knife out of the kitchen draw. She pointed at Simba and smiled asking, "D'ya want Simba?"

"No!" Jada cried as Carla went to place the knife onto the cake. "Don't cut Simba Mummy!" Peter laughed at his little girl who looked horrified at the thought of her Mum slicing into Simba and said,

"Uh oh…" Carla smiled at Jada and said,

"Baby you can eat them though..." Jada shook her head once again and said,

"No cutting Mummy. No cut Simba and Fasa." Carla sighed slightly as Peter watched in an amused fashion.

"What do I do?" Carla said to him as Jada still looked as if there was no way her cake was going to be cut.

"Dunno." Peter shrugged comically.

"Helpful." Carla replied with her eyebrows raised, Peter smirked at her and then turned to Jada and said,

"How about Mummy takes Simba and Mufasa off the cake so you can keep them? Can we try some cake then?"

"Kay…" Jada nodded although she didn't look too convinced by this idea. Carla carefully used a knife to gently prise Simba and Mufasa off the cake, she placed them on a nearby plate and looked at Jada for approval.

"How's that?" She asked as Ken joined them in the kitchen, he didn't say anything as he had only been on his way to put something in the bin but he smiled at the sight of Carla, Peter and Jada huddled up quite close in the corner of the kitchen.

"Take Puba off too." Jada said, pointing at the warthog character in a bossy fashion. Carla and Peter grinned at each other before Carla eventually took off every single icing character off Jada's cake and also some trees too.

"There ya go Little Miss Diva." Carla said, shaking her head in amusement as she looked down at the pretty bare cake before her. All that was left was the message that said, _Happy 2_ _nd_ _Birthday Jada_ and a few leaves.

"Can we ave some cake now?" Peter asked Jada, poking her on the nose. "Other wise we'll ave to eat you." He growled at Jada and tickled her as Carla sliced into the cake and began cutting pieces for everyone at the party.

Ken stayed silent as he watched this precious moment and then returned to the living room where everyone was watching patiently for a slice of some cake.

* * *

Almost three hours and a half later, when all the party guests had gone home armed with Party bags full of treats and with balloons tied to their wrists and after the tidying up had almost been finished, Carla was sat alone in the bedroom with a very sleepy Jada.

After a very long and eventful day, She had been bathed, taken out of her party clothes and put into a new pair of Frozen pyjamas.

Jada's party guests all said Thank you before leaving and it turned out to be Michelle and Steve who left the party last. It seemed as if both of them had wanted to speak to their best friends privately but there never really seemed to be the right moment for it and in the end, Michelle just said to Carla on the way out,

"Call me in the morning… okay?"

"I will…" Carla said, before hugging Michelle tightly and kissing her on the cheek goodbye.

Carla had expected Jada to fight going off to bed after she had got out of the bath but when Carla had said it was bedtime, Jada had said a loving goodnight to her brother and her Dad.

"Good night Jada." Simon said, giving her a huge hug and kiss.

"Nun Night." Jada wrapped her arms around her brother's neck before being passed over to her Dad who scooped her up and said,

"Night night Princess." Peter said, kissing Jada gently on the nose and then on both cheeks, which made her giggle sleepily.

"Night Dadda." Jada said as she rubbed her tiredly eyes. Carla walked over to Peter and took Jada off him, She smiled warmly as she did so and he couldn't help but smile back as she said,

"I reckon she'll be asleep in a few minutes…"

"If that." Peter said quietly, gently stroking Jada on the head. She smiled up at her before putting a thumb in her mouth. He bent down and picked up Simba before handing it to Carla who headed off to the bedroom with Jada in her arms.

She had cleared away all of Jada's presents earlier on so the bed was ready for them to get into it. As Carla laid Jada in the middle of the bed where she always slept these days since Peter had been in there with them, She smiled down at her as she tucked Simba in next to her and said,

"Ave you had a good day Jada?"

"Yes Mummy." Jada nodded, her thumb was still in her mouth as she spoke and as Carla stroked her head softly she took a deep breath and said,

"Do you like it ere Jada? In... England?" She knew Jada wouldn't really understand the question too much but she still continued and said, "Do you miss living in California?"

"Miss Auntie Susie." Jada nodded, showing Carla that she did understand a part of her question, if not all of it.

"Auntie Susie misses you too." Carla said softly as Jada yawned. She paused for a moment and then felt foolish as she asked, "Do you want to go back? To where Auntie Susie is? Do you want to go back to the beach… and back to Butterfies Nursery to see all your friends?"

"Yes." Jada nodded slowly, "I want go on airplane gain and see Susie... and my friends." Carla shook her head in a heartfelt way as Jada's eyes began to close. She knew that what Jada was saying didn't really mean anything as she was only two years old and not really capable of making proper decisions and that she was also half asleep but she couldn't help but ask Jada what she wanted to do.

Of course, Carla didn't mention that going back to California meant that they would have to leave Peter and Simon and as she walked back into the living room after Jada had fallen asleep, She saw them both, sat on the sofa and going over all the pictures taken at Jada's party.

"Out like a light." Carla said, as she walked over to the sofa, still wearing her giraffe ears on her head. Simon instantly stood up and gestured for Carla to sit down next to his Dad. Carla smiled at Simon but sat down next to Peter awkwardly, Simon smirked mischievously and then said,

"I think... I'm gonna head to bed too… Got an early start at school tomorrow." Peter rose an eyebrow at Simon and looked at the clock, which said it was only nine twenty pm.

"Oh yeah." Carla replied, also watching Simon suspiciously. He nodded and shrugged his shoulders before faking a yawn and making Peter and Carla both laugh.

"Thanks for today kiddo." Peter said, looking slightly seriously at Simon now and being totally grateful to him for his behaviour today.

"Ahh it was nothing... I had a fab time" Simon said with another shrug but Carla nodded.

"Thank you Simon. You've been totally amazing today." She said, getting up to hug him in pure appreciation.

As Simon held Carla close for a moment, Peter watched with his heart in his mouth. After the events of today, He wasn't entirely sure he would be able to handle being alone with Carla for too long and he knew that that was where things were headed.

After their goodnights had been said, Carla sat back down on the sofa with her body facing Peter and said a rather exhausted,

"What a day eh?"

"It's been perfect." Peter nodded slowly, "I mean it…" He said, looking at Carla intently as she moved up the sofa so she was sitting directly next to him. "Thanks for staying this long… I know I've said it a lot but honestly Carla… ya don't know how much this visit has meant to me N Si."

"Don't mention it…" Carla began, unable to ignore the way Peter had said the word visit. For some reason it irked her and mind her squirm slightly. "I'm really glad I chose to stay… These past few weeks have just been incredible..."

Suddenly… There was a tense silence.

One where Peter swallowed hard and where Carla tried to ignore the horrible feeling she had in her stomach.

This had to be it.

They had to talk about it now didn't they?

It seemed as if there was going to be no good time for Peter and Carla to discuss what happened next between them and for a moment, it seemed as if now was the right time but then… Peter couldn't help but let out a cheeky chuckle.

"What?" Carla asked slightly perplexed, Peter didn't answer her, instead he leant forward and playfully flicked one of her giraffe ears. "Oh…" She said feeling slightly foolish because everyone else had taken their ears off ages ago now. As Carla reached up to take her furry giraffe ears off, Peter quickly took hold of her hands and said,

"No leave em on, they look dead cute."

"Give over." Carla giggled as Peter held onto her hands. "Peter, you've got yours off." She tried to squirm free but Peter was stronger and she was unable to get away. "Peter…" She laughed yanking her hands to no avail.

Suddenly Carla and Peter were so close to each other they could hear each others slightly rigid breathing.

They gazed into each others eyes deeply and instead of letting go of Carla's hands, Peter just held onto them, even tighter than before.

The next thing Carla and Peter knew... their lips were touching, tenderly… moving together in perfect sync.

There was still music playing dimly from the speakers and the Christmas tree lights faded on and off as Carla and Peter got slightly more comfortable on the sofa by leaning back, Peter only very slightly on top of Carla as they kissed.

He had a hand on Carla's waist, stroking it gently as Carla rested a hand on the back of his neck, they were both utterly engrossed in each other, finally alone once again.

This tender but rather enchanted kiss between Carla and Peter, only lasted for a few more supreme seconds.

"Carla…" Peter said quietly, criminally pulling away from her and leaving her in a slight stake of shock and confusion, almost trembling in fact.

"Yeah…" She said with bated breath. "What... what is it?" She asked as she had felt as if this kiss with Peter was definitely about to lead to something else before he had stopped it so suddenly.

"It's…" He began, hating what he had just done but feeling as if it was probably the right thing to do right now… especially given the situation they were in. "It's nothing…" He said with a slightly scared smile.

"Well then…" Carla said, smiling back at Peter and placing her hand back on his neck. She smirked at him seductively and pulled him towards her but he somehow... somehow resisted.

"I can't…" He said shaking his head and he actually stood up now, making Carla even more shocked and her cheeks go slightly red. "I just… can't… I'm sorry."

Carla sat on the sofa below Peter for a moment and felt incredibly foolish after being knocked back by him, it was all too familiar feeling, one she had felt many many years ago when she had first realised her feelings for him and she detested it.

Carla was also so embarrassed and couldn't understand why after their kiss this morning and after more than a week of rather shameless flirting Peter was suddenly acting like this towards her... Maybe she'd got it wrong... after all this time.

She eventually stood up in a clumsy fashion and pulled the giraffe ears of her head desperately because she felt like they only made her look even more idiotic.

There was another horrible silence before Peter gazed around the almost tidy flat awkwardly and cleared his throat. Carla stood before him with the giraffe ears in hand still unable to work out what had gone wrong.

"It's been a long day…" Peter said, not quite looking Carla in the eyes because he knew they would be full of hurt.

He didn't want to cause her pain.

Of course Peter wanted nothing more than to kiss Carla and never stop kissing her again but he knew that if he did that she'd probably end up making the wrong choice... he wanted better... She and Jada deserved better than him.

"How about you go on to bed and I'll finish this lot..." Peter said putting his hands into his pockets casually and looking around at the little bit of mess that had been left behind.

Carla didn't know what else to do but nod slowly and walk into the bedroom she had been sharing with Peter for the past week.

She flounced down onto the bed, shaking her head and still mortified at how Peter had pulled so suddenly away from her.

She tried her hardest to work out what had gone wrong, not knowing that the real reason Peter had pulled away from her and that the only reason was because he thought that she was planning to leave.

He had heard her and Michelle talking earlier on and in his head he he had somehow figured out that Carla had to leave.

He figured that although she'd seemed to have had a good time in Weatherfield, nothing could compare to life in L.A.

He figured that she knew he was a long short and although he'd kept a brave smile on his face during the party, inside he was breaking.

During the short time he'd had since accidentally hearing about Carla's job offer, Peter had convinced himself that he wasn't good enough for another chance and that his time with her and Jada was up.

Carla wasn't going to stay in dreary Weatherfield with a complete wreck like him when there was a sunny and bright life waiting for her in Los Angeles.

In the bedroom, Carla took her make up off… her dress off and put her pyjama's on… She waited until ten o'clock and yet there was still no appearance from Peter.

She desperately wanted to go out there and speak to him, ask him why he had suddenly been so off with her when earlier on had been so perfect between them but she was still so stunned an embarrassed she just couldn't do it.

Instead she hoped… prayed he would come in and speak to her… that he would go into the bedroom and say that he had made a mistake… only he didn't.

Eleven o'clock came and it was still just Carla and Jada. Carla was sat with her phone in her hand as she finally accepted the fact that Peter wasn't going to be coming in.

He'd obviously finished tidying up ages ago and was clearly making the choice to stay away, which made Carla feel even more embarrassed than before.

The sound of Carla's email tone went off and as she clicked it open she saw that the email she had just received was from her boss.

She scanned through the email quickly, not wanting to read it too much at this time of night and saw that it was just a reminder about the wonderful new job that was waiting for her back in L.A… as if she needed reminding.

At the end of it she saw that her boss had written the words… _Let me know, asap._

Carla swallowed bitterly as she looked down at Jada and remembered how Peter had moved away from her so quick.

She hastily typed out a reply to her boss and before she could change her mind... She pressed send.

Jada's party couldn't have ended in a more frustrating and downright dreadful way.

* * *

 ** _I reckon that was probably the longest chapter of this fic so far..._**

 ** _Hope you enjoyed it, if ya did let me know with a review & as always, Thanks for reading._**

 ** _:)_**


	22. The Best Of A Bad Situation

Thursday morning, eight am.

Carla and Michelle were the very first two people in the café, they had arrived before Roy had even finished putting out the chairs and as they walked in, Carla had told Michelle she had something very important to tell her.

It took her a good while to get started, to actually admit what she had done but eventually she came out with it.

"You did what!" Michelle cried, actually slamming her hand down onto the table she was sat. Carla took a deep breath and shook her head at the stunned woman who sat before her and knew that none of this situation was going to be easy.

"I had to Michelle…" Carla began nervously, with her hands awkwardly placed onto her lap.

"When?" Michelle asked in anguish, staring at Carla with wide eyes, still in shock that her best friend had made such a sudden decision without consulting anyone.

"Saturday Morning..." Carla's voice broke as she spoke and she bit her lip as Michelle gasped.

"But that's only a day away."

"Well I ave to be back in Los Angeles in time for Monday so… I guess there is no time like the present." Carla said, trying her hardest to talk in a pleasant fashion but tears stung her eyes as she spoke and she wasn't sure how long it would be before she let them all out.

"It's such a rash decision." Michelle replied, almost in tears as she sat opposite Carla.

Yesterday Michelle had been sure that Carla would have chosen to stay.

Yesterday Michelle was sure there was no way that Carla would want to leave Weatherfield and yet, here she was saying that it was time to go.

"It's not…" Carla began, "Not really Chelle… I mean I were always planning to go back at some point weren't I?"

Carla had really gone and done it... It was too late to turn back now.

Last night an embarrassed and rather reckless Carla had gone over and over the events that had led her be in that bedroom alone and after hours and hours of not so rational thinking, She felt as if the only option she had was to accept the promotion from her boss and book that flight home.

Time was up.

Jada's birthday had come and gone and after the misunderstood way that things had ended between Carla and Peter last night, She would be lying if she said she wasn't completely and utterly humiliated.

Being knocked back by Peter made Carla feel totally inadequate and as she sat in the café, that feeling still plagued her… even though it was more than twelve hours later by now.

"I can't believe it…" Michelle said, staring at Carla in shock.

"Look… Jada's birthday is done now. The factory is fine, they don't need me ere but my boss in L.A does though… N Jada's got to get back to Nursery. She were doing so well there… She was learning all her numbers, her colours… Besides… If I'm honest Chelle... I've nothing to stay for." Carla lied.

She had a hell of a lot to stay for and she knew it.

"Nothing to stay for?" Michelle wailed, "Oh give me a break Carla!"

"Chelle, keep ya voice down." Carla hissed, many of the people who had just stepped foot into Roy's Rolls had their attention drawn over to the table where she and Michelle were sat, some were even watching them both with their eyebrows raised, wondering why on earth Michelle had got herself into such a state.

"Carla don't you dare sit in front of me and tell me you ave nothing to stay for?" Michelle said, quietening down a little as Roy brought them over their coffees.

He had sensed something was slightly wrong from the moment Carla and Michelle had stepped into the building and as Michelle sniffed hard, Roy didn't say anything to interrupt them, He just placed the hot drinks down in front of them and walked off.

"I don't mean it personally Michelle." Carla said apologetically, "It's just I really don't feel as if I ave a place ere anymore… This was only ever supposed to be a temporary situation..."

Michelle shook her head at Carla slowly, still unable to work out why she had suddenly made such a horrendous decision and asked,

"What about everything you said last night Carla? That you couldn't live without Peter… What about him? What about Simon eh?"

"I love them Chelle…" Carla nodded, "I really... really do, but loves not enough is it? Just because I love the man it doesn't mean we're going to be able to live happily ever after..." Michelle watched a tear dribble down Carla's face and felt one of her own as she asked,

"What happened Carla? What happened to make you make this decision and don't tell me it's nothing because something's happened to make you book those flights… I'm sure of it." Carla wiped her eyes as Michelle waited for a response. She sighed and swallowed back as many tears as she could before she eventually said,

"I don't know… One minute me n Peter are on the sofa messing about, the next he's practically pushing me away from him…"

"I don't know what you mean." Michelle said confused, trying hard to cry.

"One minute we were kissing… it were perfect and then it all ended… Peter got up and told me to go bed…" Carla sighed, resting an elbow on the table and then resting her chin in the palm of her hand. "He were acting dead weird and said he were tidying up… So I waited for him… Chelle I waited for him for hours but he never came in."

"So what? You just decided there and then that it was time to go home?" Michelle asked with a pained expression on her face.

"It wasn't an easy decision Michelle." Carla said, her voice rather irate now because her best friend just didn't seem to get it. "Do ya think I just made this choice on a wim… I had plenty of time on me own to think about it." Carla re-lived the way it felt to be knocked back by Peter last night and shuddered before she said, "God, I felt so stupid last night."

"Oh Carla…" Michelle sighed, she reached over the table and gently touched her best friends arm but it didn't offer as much support as she would have liked because another tear ran down Carla's face. "Carla don't cry."

"It's me own fault…" Carla said hoarsely. "For a stupid moment last night… When Peter and Jada were dancing along to that stupid Happy song at her party…" Carla paused for a moment to let out a little laugh as she reimagined the sight of Peter and Jada's joyful dancing. "I truly felt as if maybe I could stay, I felt as if maybe me n Jada could really move back ere for good… I stupidly thought that maybe me n Peter would all right but then he pushed me away." Carla shook her head really quickly as if she was trying to shake the feeling of sleeping alone off of her and let another tear drip down her cheek as she said, "I dunno, he clearly he doesn't feel the same way as I do… so it makes sense for me to leave don't it?"

"Oh come off it Carla…" Michelle said shaking her head, neither one of them making a start on their coffees because they were so upset. "That man is flaming crazy about you."

"Well why did he push me away then?" Carla asked, shrugging and watching Michelle with an eyebrow raised, "If Peter felt as if he wanted me to stay why did he act that way with me?"

"I…" Michelle began but then she trailed off, unable to think of a good enough reason for Peter to pull away from Carla mid kiss because as far as Michelle and everyone else knew… Peter was still madly in love with Carla.

"See…" Carla said quietly, letting more and more tears loose as she put her arm down on the table in front of her. She sniffed and swallowed, trying to stop her self from getting so wound up but it was as if all the tears she had made sure she'd held in last night were now escaping.

"No." Michelle replied, "I don't see... I still don't see how on earth you can just leave so suddenly."

"It's not sudden." Carla said with a sigh, "There was always a plan to leave ere, You n Peter knew that, Everyone knew that…" Michelle tutted at Carla infuriatedly and was unable to respond to her this time.

She couldn't believe that in two days she would be without her bestest and oldest friend again.

Yes Carla was right, She had always planned to go back to L.A after Jada's birthday but after everything that had happened, Michelle had secretly thought that Carla would decide that she wants to stay.

"I was mortified last night. It's as if everything me n Peter had been through over the past few weeks meant nothing, Michelle I sat there n I kept telling myself that Peter would come in but he didn't…" Carla explained, "I felt so out of control… n I aven't felt like that for a really really long time… I don't wanna feel that way… I don't want to feel like that again Chelle. That's why I ave to go. If I stay ere, It's only going to get worse."

Michelle nodded sympathetically at Carla and couldn't help but start tearing up again. Michelle couldn't stop herself from letting out a little weep and as she wiped her eyes in anguish, Carla sadly said,

"If this is your reaction I dread to see Peter's…"

"Yeah well what did ya expect me to be like Carla?" Michelle wept. "You're me best mate."

"Yeah… I am." Carla said with another tear slowly falling down her face, "So instead of having a go you should be supporting me… hugging me and…" Carla stopped as more tears began to dribble down her cheeks and there were soon so many that she literally had to force out, "Telling me everything's going to be alright."

"Carla…" Michelle sobbed, standing up and walking around the table. She threw her arms around Carla who was almost inconsolable at this point. "I do support you… I'm just stunned… and sad. I secretly thought that you would stay in the end… I never thought… I don't wanna lose you again babe… Or little Jada."

"You're not gonna lose me or Jada…" Carla said with Michelle's arms tightly wrapped around her. "I'm still gonna be your best mate n your still gonna be Jada's favourite aunt, We're just going to be in L.A rather than ere that's all.

"I'm not sure Peter's gonna see it like that…" Michelle said, "Or Simon." She unnecessarily added.

"Yeah… I know." Carla nodded as Michelle let go of her and returned to her seat.

"So I take it they don't know yet then?" Michelle asked. Carla finally picked up her cup of coffee and took a sip as she shook her head and said,

"Nope… and I don't even know where to begin with telling them either. It's going to be horrendous which ever way I go about it."

"Yeah…" Michelle nodded slowly, "Do ya want me to help… I mean I don't know how on earth I could help but…"

"No…" Carla said softly, "It should probably just be me there when I tell them."

"When you gonna do it?" Michelle asked.

"As soon as possible I guess…" Carla said, dreading the idea of telling Peter and Simon about the fact that she was leaving. She knew the experience was going to be absolute torture and as she sat with Michelle... Carla knew that there was never going to be a right time so say it.

* * *

"Come on Jada… eat your cocoa pops." Peter said, pushing Jada's bowl of chocolaty cereal towards her. She was sat on a chair with a rather large pillow under her bottom so she could reach the table and as her Dad sat next to her and picked up the spoon in her bowl, she pouted grumpily and said,

"No Daddy… Jada finished."

"You're not finished love, You've had like two spoons." Peter replied, as Simon entered the kitchen area. He pulled on his coat, already dressed in his school uniform and as he did so, Jada pointed at him and said, "Where Simon going?"

"Si's going to school." Peter said, waving at Simon who pulled his backpack over his shoulders and said,

"I'll see ya later Jada, then me n you can do one of your new puzzles." Simon came over to Jada who was sat at the table and kissed her on the head before saying, "Bye bye."

"Bye Simon." Peter said picking up the cereal bowl, as Jada frowned even more and moaned,

"No Daddy! I finished." She pushed away the spoon Peter had in hand and shook her head as Simon chuckled and said,

"I think she's got the birthday blues." He waved at his Dad before heading towards the door and as he opened it, Peter looked at Jada amused and said,

"Is that it Little Miss Grumpy? Are you sad it's not your birthday anymore?" Jada continued to frown at Peter who put the spoon back into her bowl. He looked down at her practically untouched cereal and said, "Come on darling… You need to eat your breakfast so you get big n strong."

"No." Jada said, shaking her head. "Me not want to be big n strong… Jada want to be a maymaid." She looked away from Peter proudly and folded her arms in a very Carla like fashion which made her Dad chuckle and say,

"Yes well… Mermaids need to be big n strong too y'know… They need lots of energy if they want to be able to swim lots n lots." Jada looked as if she was thinking things few for a moment and then shook her head once again and said,

"No… I don't like chocolate pops."

"You liked them two days ago." Peter said with a raised eyebrow, He sighed as he put the cereal bowl down and it was then that Jada pointed over to the toaster and say,

"Toast."

"Toast?" Peter repeated, he looked at Jada who was now smiling and practically batting her eyelashes at her Dad.

"Chocolate toast. Pwease." She said adorably. Peter reached over and gave his daughter a little tickle before eventually caving and saying,

"Okay… but are you going to make sure that you're going to eat it?"

"Yes Daddy." Jada replied sweetly. "I eat it all up."

"You promise?" Peter asked bending down in front of Jada, he knew that he probably shouldn't spoil her in such a way and let her get away with not eating the cereal she even chose herself but when Jada was looking at him with those big green eyes of hers, Peter couldn't resist.

"Yes Daddy." Jada nodded as Peter stood up. He walked over to the kitchen and pulled open the loaf of bread just as Carla came through the front door.

There was an awkward silence between her and Peter as she closed the door behind her, wishing she didn't have to do what she was about to do.

"Mummy!" Jada called, waving from her chair and holding her arms out for Carla to come and get her.

"Morning Jada." Carla smiled, walking over to Jada and picking her up as Peter put two slices of bread in the toaster.

"Mummy where you go?" Jada asked as Carla kissed her on the cheek.

"Mummy went to have a coffee with Auntie Chelle..." Carla explained, She looked over at Peter who had folded his arms awkwardly.

"Hi…" He said quietly. Peter had a lot of things he desperately wanted to say to Carla but he honestly didn't know how to even begin, which is why he went with a simple _Hi._

"Hi." Carla replied, holding Jada close to her.

She and Peter hadn't seen each other since their kiss last night and since Carla had left early to meet Michelle for a coffee, this was the first time she and Peter had gotten the opportunity to even speak.

"You okay?" Peter asked, walking over to the kitchen table where Carla had sat down with Jada perched onto her lap.

Carla wasn't okay… not at all.

She was struggling with trying to figure out how she was going to tell Peter that she was leaving but of course she couldn't say that could she?

All she could do right now was nod slowly and say,

"Yeah…" She reached down, picking up the spoon that Peter had left in Jada's bright pink cereal bowl and said to her daughter, "Is this your breakfast?"

"No…" Jada giggled, "I don't like pops… Daddy make me chocolate toast." She said, pointing over at Peter and smiling triumphantly,

"Is he now?" Carla said with an eyebrow raised, she looked at Peter who looked slightly sheepish and said,

"I know… I should ave just said no but I could resist." Carla rolled her eyes at Peter but not in a nasty way more in a friendly one and as she did so she said,

"You're a cheeky girl Jada Elise Barlow." She tickled Jada in the tummy playfully and as Jada squealed delightedly, Peter was unable to tear his gaze away.

Even though he found it painful he watched Jada and Carla who looked heart wrenchingly similar and he only stopped watching them both when the toaster popped up.

"Ready!" Jada cried, jumping up with her arms in the air. Peter smiled at her and got up to fetch her toast whilst Carla put her back onto the chair that she had been sitting on earlier so she was ready for her next lot of breakfast.

She took a quick glance at Peter who had his back towards her and then looked back at Jada and whispered,

"Wish me luck Jada…"

"Luck?" Jada said out loud, looking completely confused because she didn't know what luck was.

"What did she just say?" Peter asked turning around to look at Carla who had very quickly stood up to take off her coat.

"Dunno..." Carla lied as Peter turned back to finish putting chocolate spread on Jada's toast. When he was done he brought the it over on a plate and as he set it down in front of Jada, he said, "There ya go Princess."

"Thank you Daddy." Jada replied with glee, reaching forwards and grabbing a piece of toast eagerly.

"You better eat that Jada…" Carla said as she came back from hanging up her coat. She didn't sit down, instead she just stood in front of Peter quietly... and tensely.

She thought about maybe waiting until later… maybe until Simon was home to begin but Carla knew she couldn't spend the whole day in the flat without Peter knowing and Carla also knew that he deserved to know that his time with their daughter was almost up.

"Can we… talk?" Carla eventually said to Peter.

"Sure." Peter nodded, his mouth growing dry as Carla stood before him.

Carla looked down at Jada and she knew that this situation was going to get emotional, she knew that there would be tears and she knew that Jada couldn't be near by when she eventually told Peter the truth because she desperately didn't want their little girl to see her parents in tears.

Other than their confrontation at the hospital, Jada had never experienced her Mother and Father arguing in her life, in fact Carla was sure Jada had never even seen her cry and she was adamant that she was going to keep things this way.

"Hey Jada…" Carla said, bending down and smiling at an already messy Jada who had chocolate spread all around her mouth. "Do ya wanna eat your toast n watch TV?" Jada nodded and Peter knew what was coming.

He knew that Carla was about to tell him about this job offer, that's why she was moving Jada and as Carla bent down and picked up their daughter, Peter could swear he felt like his heart had dropped into his stomach.

This was it.

This was the moment she was going to tear his heart into pieces and Peter felt totally and completely powerless to stop it.

Carla placed Jada on the sofa with her plate of toast and then turned the TV on one of Jada's favourite channels. She then returned to the kitchen to find Peter in a state of nervousness, his hands were clasped together in front of him and he was anxiously picking at one of his nails.

"Peter…" Carla said, standing in front of him, feeling her heart thump hard as she gestured for him to sit down.

"Just… come out with it." Peter said, shaking his head slowly as Carla pulled out her own chair and sat on it.

"Sit down Peter." She said sighing. Peter tutted and pulled the chair opposite Carla out from the table and sat down on it hastily,

"Okay. I'm sitting down." Peter said bluntly, he threw his hands on the table and stared at Carla as he said, "Come on then… what is it?"

"Why d'ya ave to be like that?" Carla asked, glancing back at Jada who was happily watching an episode of Peppa Pig before looking back at Peter again.

The slightly hurt look on Carla's face made Peter soften a little which is why he looked apologetic and said,

"Okay…I'm sorry… I'm just a little on edge this morning…"

"I… I get it." Carla replied nodding, She gave Peter a scared smiled and said, "But… I ave to tell you something…"

"Yeah?" Peter asked, although he he knew exactly what she was about to say.

"Yeah…" Carla nodded again, she sniffed as she took yet another look at Jada and said, "So… Long story short my boss has offered me a really…" She paused when she saw the tears in Peter's eyes and she almost wondered if maybe he knew what was coming... Although he didn't look the slightest bit prepared for it. "Good job… a promotion…" She continued and as she paused again, Carla had expected Peter to speak but he said nothing. "It's an amazing opportunity Peter… really prestige the only thing is that… I have to be back by Monday to get all the paper work sorted before the new year…"

Peter still didn't speak, he just nodded at Carla in a way that made her heart ache with pain.

"So… I… I've booked flights… n me n Jada are going back to California on Saturday." Carla said, her voice cracking as she said the word Saturday.

"Saturday…" Peter repeated, his brown eyes so teary it was a wonder they didn't spurt with tears because he didn't think she was actually going to do it.

"Yeah… I mean it would ave been later, I would ave stayed longer but… as I said, I ave to get back." Carla replied, barley able to speak now.

"Yeah…" Peter said nodding again, "Okay, I get it…" He said standing up but he couldn't quite commit to this understanding attitude of his and said, "Actually… no, y'know what? I don't bloody get it."

"Peter." Carla began, fully expecting Peter to be distraught but he didn't let her continue he just shook his head and rapidly asked,

"Is this because of last night?" This question threw Carla.

She really hadn't been expecting it and as Peter stood in front of her and she replayed last night and all it's horrible feelings, all Carla could say was,

"I really don't wanna talk about last night Peter."

"So it is about last night then?" Peter asked, "Is this because pulled away from you when we kissed?"

"No." Carla lied, shaking her head and sighing, not convincing Peter for one second that this had nothing to do with how he had ended their kiss last night.

"So that's it then, you're leaving." Peter said angrily, He could barley stand to look at Carla right now but this was not because he was angry at her… more because he was angry at himself.

Even though he had overheard last night and knew Carla had been given this job offer and even though he had convinced himself that he really wasn't good enough for her... Peter still felt… hoped... prayed in fact that she might stay.

He was angry.

Angry because he really didn't think Carla would go as far as booking the flights without even speaking to him about it first.

When Peter actually thought about it he was rather gobsmacked that Carla had actually done this and as she sat down on the chair in front of him, all he wanted to do was shout but he didn't... and the only reason he didn't was because of his little girl who was sat on the sofa, oblivious to what was happening behind her.

"Peter I had no choice." Carla said devastated.

"Yes… you did." Peter said trying his hardest to keep his cool although he was struggling immensely.

"Peter you knew we were going..." Carla said, her voice raised slightly but not enough for Jada to notice. "This isn't a surprise... I said from the start this is how things would be..."

"So because you had always said you were going I shouldn't be gutted that I'm loosing my daughter?" Peter said, sitting back down on the chair in front of Carla because he felt as if it might calm him down.

"I never said that." Carla said quietly, hating the shattered look on Peter's face as he sat opposite her. "I just… I have to go back to L.A Peter." A tear fell down his cheek. He very quickly wiped it away but it was too late, Carla had already seen it. "Peter… I… ave to say thank you for everything, letting me n Jada stay ere… it was so nice of you."

"Nice?" Peter said bitterly, shaking his head and hating how plain the way the word _nice_ sounded. "Like I'm just some mate of yours or something… I mean it's not like I'm Jada's Dad or anything."

"Peter don't." Carla said, "I know exactly who you are… N I swear to you I am going to make sure Jada thinks about you n speaks to you every single day. You two can Skype whenever you want, I'll keep sending you pictures of all her little moments n I'll come back for visits like every month or so…"

"Every month?" Peter said with his eyebrows furrowed together, "Am I supposed to be happy with that? Seeing Jada every month?"

"Well Peter I don't know what else to tell ya ere. I mean It's not as if you can come n visit is it?" Carla snapped.

"Yeah… this is all my fault." Peter sighed, feeling about two feet tall as he was reminded of the time he tried to get into L.A but couldn't.

"I never said that." Carla sighed, "I just mean that it's gonna ave to be down to me aint it? You can't come to L.A and again I'm not saying that it's your fault, I'm just stating the facts… I'm just trying to make the best of a bad situation ere Peter."

Peter let out a sarcastic laugh and shook his head at what Carla had just said to him.

"The best of a bad situation…" He repeated, "Okay…" he took a deep breath as Jada began loudly singing along to the Peppa Pig theme tune and dancing from her seat on the sofa.

The sight of his daughter practically covered in chocolate spread and happily dancing along to the telly, made Peter tear up once again.

He couldn't bare to cry in front of Carla and got up off the chair he had been sat on in a hasty fashion.

"I can't do this." He said, walking over to where all their coats were hung up on the wall.

"Wait… where are you going?" Carla said as Peter picked up his black coat.

"I just…" Peter sniffed, "I need some air..." He pulled his coat on, walked over to the sofa, gave Jada a kiss and then left the flat with in seconds.

He left Carla sat at the dinning table alone and as she heard the door slam shut she couldn't hold it in any longer.

Carla burst into an uncontrollable fit of tears... although she could barley breath due to crying so much, Carla made sure that she did it as quietly as she could because she didn't want Jada to hear... or see her mother in such a state.

So, for an agonising amount of time, Carla sat, sobbing quietly at the table whilst Jada stayed transfixed with Peppa Pig.

* * *

Peter didn't know where on earth where he was going.

He had left his flat and just started walking in any direction.

All he knew was that he just simply had to get as far away from his flat as possible.

He stormed up Coronation Street, trying his hardest not to let passers by see how crushed he was.

How could this happen?

How could things really be ending like this?

When Carla had arrived, Peter had spent so much time promising himself that he wouldn't get his hopes up.

He had tried so very hard not to let her get too close to him and now here he was, almost inconsolable that Carla and Jada were suddenly leaving him... Again.

Peter frustratedly kicked an empty fizzy drinks can that had been left on the side of the street and couldn't refrain from swearing out loud as he did so.

He should have known... He should have prepared himself better than this, Carla had always said she and Jada were leaving after her birthday so why hadn't he made sure he was ready for it.

Peter hated himself right now... detested himself for being so naïve and also, he was sure that right now he hated Carla too.

As he pulled a packet of cigarettes out of his pocket, Peter told himself that he really should hate Carla. How could she leave like this?

How could she leave so close to Christmas? How could she go after they'd all had so much fun together? How on earth could she separate him from his daughter?

Peter put his cigarette in his mouth and lit it, still trying to convince himself that he really hated Carla... It only took him a few drags of his cigarette to realise that, Yes in this moment in time he could swear he hated Carla as much as he wants… deep down he knew he only felt this way because he loved her… madly so.

After thinking about it for a long time, Peter knew that what was most important to him... Was Carla and Jada's happiness... Simon's too of course but he knew that right now, the decision that Carla was making was ultimately... the right one.

Deep down Peter knew that he couldn't really blame Carla for wanting to leave, he was sure this job was something that she really wanted and he was sure that it was an opportunity that meant Carla would be able to give Jada a hell of a lot more than he ever could.

Peter still felt as if Jada deserved a hell of a lot better than him and he was sure that if Carla and Jada did stay, he'd probably end up screwing things up anyway.

Yes... It would only take a short amount of time for Peter to ruin things between them... After all, that was what he was known for.

Peter blew some smoke out of his mouth once again and promised himself that once he calmed down, once his heart rate had returned to normal and he didn't feel like he was about to cry stupidly at any given moment, He would go back home and speak to Carla rationally.

It took a very long time for Peter to feel as if he had calmed down enough to not scream and shout at Carla... Three more cigarettes in fact.

He'd been gone for about an hour and a half when he had decided enough was enough. He knew that there really wasn't much he could do about Carla leaving and he knew that right now he was wasting what precious time he had left with her and Jada.

Peter returned home to see Carla stood in his kitchen, she had her long hair tied up and had a wooden spoon in her hand as she stood in front of a saucepan. The Christmas tree lights faded on and off and Jada was nowhere to be seen although there were little chocolate finger prints left on the sofa from where she had been sat with her toast earlier.

"She's aving a nap." Carla told Peter, as he took off his coat and stared at the spot Jada had been sitting.

"Oh… right." Peter said quietly. He hung his coat up on a hook and walked towards the kitchen, "What you cooking?" He asked, as if he was just a normal husband returning home from work or something.

"Soup." Carla said sighing and putting the wooden spoon down on the kitchen counter. "I didn't make it… it's from a can." She awkwardly said, smiling a little. Peter grinned at her slightly and pointed over at the dinning table as he said,

"Can we... talk again? I… I promise I won't get all worked up this time."

"Sure..." Carla said, nodding as she turned the stove off and walked over to the dining table. She and Peter sat down opposite each other once again, there was a small silence but eventually Peter bit the bullet and spoke first,

"I… I'm sorry for the outburst, I… I guess I just got really upset at the thought of you n Jada leaving."

"I know. I don't blame you Peter… I'm upset too, I don't really want to go. Please don't think this was an easy decision because it really wasn't. I just think... it's best." Carla said trying her hardest not to sound too miserable. "I've got to back to work, I ave responsibilities n clients... N Jada, as much as she adore's it here, She has to get back to her Nursery..."

"Carla... you don't ave to explain... you really don't." Peter sighed, "As you said, this was never supposed to be a permanent thing."

"Peter..." Carla said, staring at him fondly but also in an extremely sad and upsetting way, "Just so y'know… I am really grateful for everything... n as I said I promise you I will visit a lot more often... N if you could come to L.A… you'd be more than welcome… anytime."

"Thanks." Peter said with a slight sigh. What Carla had just said wasn't really helpful but he knew that she was trying. "Does Jada know what's happening?" Peter asked pained at the idea of not being able to spend his days with her anymore.

"She knows… I don't think she understands." Carla began, "I said to her when you were gone that we were going back to California, she's excited... She says she can't wait to see Auntie Susie again but I don't think she realises that it's for good."

The words _For good_ sounded and tasted horrible on Carla's tongue and she let out a little cough to try and stop herself from getting too worked up again.

"I'm… gonna tell Simon later." Carla said nervously, "When he gets back from school… Do you wanna be there?"

"No." Peter said, shaking his head slowly, "I mean… I reckon it should just be you n him… I'll probably only get upset again anyway."

"Okay." Carla nodded understandingly although she now couldn't bare the thought of having to tell Simon that she and Jada were going to be gone by Saturday morning, she had hoped Peter would have helped her with it but she also understood why he felt as if he couldn't.

There was a long and excruciating silence which seemed to last for ridiculously long and Peter felt as if he and Carla could probably carry on like this for hours on end if no one said anything so he cleared his throat, looked at the stove and asked,

"So… Are we having soup for lunch then?"

"Errr yeah..." Carla said, smiling sheepishly, "I asked Jada what she wanted and she said Soup, I make this soup in L.A that she loves but I reckon the cans will do just fine, we went out n bought some French bread too."

"Sounds good." Peter nodded slowly, Carla got up and walked back over to the kitchen stove. She put it on again and even though she and Peter somehow made a somewhat comfortable conversation, She couldn't stop thinking about her next dreaded task... telling Simon.

* * *

"Hey Carla." Simon said cheerily, throwing his school bag onto the floor and smiling at Carla who had been sat watching the television. It was three forty five and sure enough Simon had returned from school bang on time.

"Hi Simon." Carla said turning off the TV with the remote and biting her lip as he took his coat off. "How was school?" She asked.

"Yeah, it were alright... We're all counting down the days till the Christmas holidays even the teachers, only three left." Simon said excitedly, he then walked over to Carla and sat down next to her on the sofa. "Where's me Dad then?" He asked.

"He's gone over to your Granddad's with Jada." Carla explained, Peter had left about half an hour ago with Jada in two, deciding that he should give Carla and Simon some time alone.

"Oh okay." Simon said nodding, He kicked off his battered school shoes and it was then that he realised that Carla had turned off the TV, he took one look at her rather emotional expression and then asked, "Is everything alright Carla?"

"Yes…" Carla began with a lump in her throat, "Well... I just ave to tell you something."

"What?" Simon asked swallowing hard. Carla took a deep breath and then she closed her eyes for a spilt second before opening them and saying,

"Simon, I ave loved living ere with you n your Dad… I really really ave, every single moment has been lovely... Well if you don't include Jada getting ill of course. I will never ever forget all the fun stuff we've done together... but it's time…"

Simon wasn't stupid, he knew exactly what Carla was talking about right now. He felt a feeling inside him that he'd never felt before... one that ached and one that was painful. He was quiet for a good minute but he eventually... and very sadly said,

"You're going home... aren't you?" Carla's eyes welled up at Simon's words and shook her head adamantly as she said,

"Not home… this will always be my home…"

"But you n Jada are going back to California." Simon said.

"Yes." Carla nodded miserably.

"Why?" Simon asked, shaking his own head now, not understanding at all.

"Because…" Carla said although she was unable to explain her reasons to Simon properly. "It's time darlin." Simon sniffed hard as Carla sat next to him and it was all she could do not to burst into tears.

"When are you going?" Simon asked, trying hard not to cry because he really wanted to act grown up about things.

"Saturday…" Carla said, knowing this would upset Simon even more.

"Saturday?" He said looking even more devastated by this news because he had expected her to stay until at least after Christmas.

"Yes... it's a long story to do with work but Simon let me say something, I love you very much okay, I really do n just like I promised you can come in stay with me n Jada whenever you want to." Carla said.

"But it's the not same is it?" Simon asked, "I won't see you n Jada every day, will I?"

"I know…" Carla nodded sadly, "But… as I said to your Dad, We've all got to try n make the best of a bad situation ere." Simon nodded again because he really didn't know what else to do or say. He wondered how his Dad must have taken the news that Carla was leaving and couldn't help but let a tear fall from his eyes.

"We're gonna miss you… so much." Carla said gently reaching out and wiping Simon's face.

"I'm gonna miss you too." Simon said, reaching over and pulling Carla towards him for a hug. He could hear and feel her crying the moment he put his arms around her and the sound of it, only made Simon start crying too.

"Trust me Si, We're gonna talk every day. I promise." Carla said nodding with tears in her eyes.

It was around six thirty pm when Peter and Jada returned home. They walked into the living room to see Simon and Carla sat on the sofa, Carla with a loving arm around Simon as they watched an old episode of The Simpsons.

Peter knew from an instant that his son and wife had been crying, both of their eyes were red as they said Hello and as Jada ran towards them to say hello back, Peter felt his mouth become dry once again because in Two days, this would all be over.

"Hi Jada." Simon said, picking Jada up off the floor and unzipping her jacket. As he took off her scarf and hat, Simon couldn't help but think about the weather in Los Angeles and he knew that these items were ones that Jada probably wouldn't need to take back with her.

"Simon…" Jada said, beaming at her big brother in a way that made both Carla and Peter swallow back even more tears.

Everyone but Jada in the room knew that the next few days were going to be like this... tearful and tense.

Peter had already spent far too long trying not to cry today. He had gone to his Dad's house with Jada and tried really hard to act as if everything was all fine and normal.

He couldn't bear to talk about the fact that Carla and Jada really were leaving and had sat in his Dad's living room pretending as if today was just another day.

"What we aving for dinner then Nigella?" Peter asked, trying his very hard to be full of banter like normal and tickling Carla on the back of the neck as he walked past her.

"I dunno…" Carla said, smiling back at Peter as best she could. Simon got up with Jada's hat, coat and scarf in hand, he left Jada sitting on the sofa and taking off her shoes. "What d'ya fancy for dinner kids?" Carla asked, looking at Jada who cried,

"Pizza!" She then eagerly jumped off the sofa and ran over to where some of her toys lay, she bent down as if she was trying to find something and the sight of her moving so comfortably around Peter's flat only made things worse.

"Pizza sounds good Jada." Simon said as he came back over to the sofa and tried to ignore how bad he felt because he knew his Dad and Carla would have it ten thousand times worse.

"Pizza it is then." Peter said nodding, he sat down and set about ordering a pizza on Simon's laptop but he couldn't quite keep his eyes off his son who still had sore eyes. They were both desperate to speak to each other and it was only when Carla went to the toilet that Peter sat down next to Simon and said,

"So… how'd it go then?"

"How do ya think it went Dad?" Simon asked, he had been sat on the floor with Jada doing one of her large floor puzzles and had stood up so he could converse with his Dad, leaving Jada armed with large pieces of a frozen puzzle.

"Look Si, I'm sorry… I really don't know what else to do or say ere… I feel powerless." Peter responded.

"Ask her to stay." Simon said with his eyes wide, "Do something to make her stay Dad you ave to."

"Like what Simon?" Peter asked exasperated.

"Just tell her you love her Dad." Simon said, as if it was the easiest thing in the world for Peter to admit.

"I don't think that'll work kid." Peter said awkwardly, hating how useless he felt right now.

"Yeah well you won't know unless you try." Simon sighed, "Come on Dad… we ave to do something about them going."

"Simon… if I genuinely felt as if me telling Carla that I loved her would make a difference then I would… I'd scream it from the roof tops if it would make a bit of difference but seriously mate, Carla and Jada deserve better than this… than me… n so do you if I'm being quite honest…" Peter said, his voice regretful as he spoke. "I'm just sorry you can't go with her."

"Don't Dad." Simon sighed, shaking his head at Peter, "I don't want to go with her... I just think we ave to do something to show Carla n Jada how much they mean to us…" he was about to continue but then Carla came back into the living room. She knew that Peter and Simon must have been talking about her as they had stopped so suddenly when she had walked in.

"Is everything alright?" She asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah course…" Simon nodded awkwardly, "Me n Dad were just saying... that we wanted to throw you a leaving party…" Peter's eyes widened at the thought of throwing a leaving party for his little girl and Carla but he nodded along with Simon anyway.

"Seriously?" Carla asked, walking towards them as Jada looked up and said,

"Come on Simon, we do puzzle." She yanked Simon's trouser leg and as Simon sat back down on the floor, Carla looked at Peter and said,

"Really?"

"Yeah… if you want?" Peter replied nervously.

Carla didn't want… not at all.

She didn't want a leaving party... Parties were supposed to be happy occasions and there was absolutely nothing for Carla to feel like she was happy about but as Simon sat on the floor and stared up at her, she simply couldn't turn down his sweet offer.

"Okay…" She said nodding, "Sure."

"Good" Simon said with a rather false smile and a nod.

There was only one thing that Peter, Carla and Simon knew about this party… It was not going to be good… not at all... This party was going to be torture.


	23. Sparky

"This was such a bad idea…" Peter said, sighing heavily as he placed a plate of party food down on his dining table.

Only two days ago he was doing the very same thing only for a much happier circumstance.

Two days ago it was Jada's birthday and Peter would have been happy to lay out endless amounts of food for the people coming over because he wanted them all to have an amazing time but now? Well now Peter Barlow couldn't care less if people had a good time at his flat tonight or not.

Tonight he and Simon were reluctantly throwing a leaving party for Carla and Jada and as Simon came over to the dining table with some more food, he nodded miserably at his father and said,

"I know... It were dead stupid." He felt incredibly guilty and foolish for being the one who had suggested this whole party idea and as the clock crept closer to six pm, He couldn't help but wish he'd never opened his stupid mouth.

Simon watched his Dad, who had dark circles underneath his tired eyes and shook his head apologetically as he said,

"I'm sorry Dad… I really wish I hadn't of suggested this party now."

"No Si. Don't be sorry... I really didn't mean it like that." Peter said guiltily, "You were right yesterday, we should do something special for Jada and Carla…" Peter said although his voiced cracked when he said Carla's name and he barley even got Jada's name out. "They deserve a proper good send off… it's just going to be hard that's all." Peter nodded, looking around and checking that everything was in place and ready for the party.

There was a Christmas party music playlist playing in the background of the flat and once again, Peter and Simon had prepared some balloons, which were floating up against the ceiling.

Simon had originally thought that blowing up balloons for a goodbye party was odd, mainly because they weren't celebrating at all but seeing as Jada had loved them so much at her own party, he decided that it was a good idea after all.

He had also made a banner last night on some very large paper he'd had left over from an old art project.

He hadn't told his Dad that what he was doing, it was very late at night when he had started writing the words,

 ** _Goodbye Carla & Jada_**

 ** _We will miss you!_**

By the time Simon had finished filling in each letter with a different colour marker pen, it was almost half past one in the morning, However Simon didn't really mind how late it was, he knew he wouldn't be able to get much sleep knowing that Carla and his little sister were leaving soon and he also knew that in the living room his Dad was probably awake too.

Simon could have got up and gone out to see his Dad, he really wanted to at one point but he didn't because he genuinely didn't know what to do or say to him.

He couldn't make it better for his Dad… No one could… except for Carla that is and as much as Simon racked his brains he couldn't think of a way to get her to stay.

"That's really nice Si…" Peter said as he watched Simon climb up on a chair and hang up the banner he'd made.

It pained him terribly to see such words hung up on the wall next to the Christmas Tree and deep down, all Peter wanted to do was tear the banner to pieces but he knew that Simon was only trying to do something special for Carla.

Peter also knew that this banner project had kept Simon busy last night.

"Thanks Dad." Simon said, giving his Dad a false smile as he got down off the chair.

Peter and Simon had both put on smart shirts and dark jeans for the party and had been ready for the guests to arrive for almost an hour now.

Carla and Jada had been in the bedroom that long and had gone in there to get dressed after Carla had got home from a shopping trip into town with Michelle.

She had left Jada behind with Peter in the morning of course, so he could make the absolute most of his last remaining day with Jada and at first, he was able to pretend as if this was any other day.

He and Jada watched some television together and then went to the playground even though it was mid December and it was practically bitter cold outside. After a long time on the swings and going up and down the slide, it was clear that Jada was beginning to get tired so then she and Peter went home for a nap.

After their nap, Jada and Peter read some stories and had some lunch. They had truly had a wonderful time together but then Carla came home from her shopping trip at around two pm and it was then that Peter remembered that tomorrow... his whole world would change forever.

Carla entered the flat carrying a large shiny black suitcase and a large Disney store bag ,which of course Jada had spotted instantly because she recognised the famous logo.

"Oooh what that Mummy." Jada cried, hopping off Peter's lap where she had been sat on the floor with him at the coffee table. She ran over to the bag, which Carla placed on the floor and sweetly asked, "For Jada?"

"Yes darlin…" Carla nodded, smiling at Jada as best she could although when Peter got up and took a proper look at Carla, he saw that her eyes were bloodshot and she definitely looked as if she had been crying.

It also didn't help that Carla had been up half the night as well and was extremely tired... it seemed as if no one at number twelve a Rosamund Street got much sleep last night... except for Jada of course.

She went into the large Disney store carrier bag excitedly but Peter didn't have to look down at it to see what was inside, he looked at the brand new suitcase Carla had bought and had guessed she had bought another new one for Jada too.

"Elsa!" Jada cried, clapping her hands together as she pulled the child sized suitcase out of the plastic carrier bag.

Carla had bought her a bright blue Frozen suitcase that could actually light up when a button was pressed on the handle and as Jada bent down and excitedly tried to open it, Carla looked at Peter who's big brown eyes looked so full of pain that she couldn't bare it.

"Look Daddy." Jada cried, pulling Peter's trouser leg and pointing at the pictures on her brand new suitcase. Peter bent down to admire Jada's suitcase because he too couldn't take staring at Carla for too long and said,

"Wow Jada, You're so lucky. That's a really pretty suitcase for all your things." He thought about all of the stuff he had bought Jada since her arrival to Weatherfield and he wasn't too sure that it would all fit between her new Frozen suitcase and her old Minnie mouse one.

He then looked at Carla who was taking off her black coat and gloves and then down at the black suitcase that she had purchased because she too had bought a lot of stuff since being in Manchester.

"How was shopping then?" Peter asked, daring to be the first one to speak as Carla started to wheel the suitcase towards the bedroom. She left it by the door and took a deep breath before saying,

"Pretty dire to be honest."

"Yeah?" Peter asked, surprised because Carla never spoke about shopping like that… ever.

She walked around the sofa and sat down on it as Jada ran over to her toy pile which had been kept in the corner near the Christmas tree and began picking toys up.

"Yeah… the shops were full of those idiots who leave Christmas shopping to the last minute of course…" Carla and Peter both watched as Jada began cramming all sorts of random toys into her brand new suitcase.

She didn't really know what she was doing of course. All Jada knew was that she was going back to California soon and that she wanted to take her toys with her and as she went back to her pile of toys, she was unaware that both her parents were practically in pieces.

Peter was the one to break first.

He got up and walked into the kitchen, saying that he was going to get the party food ready, he had only done it for something else to do other than to start crying.

Carla stayed on the sofa motionless. Stuck watching Jada who was rather comically trying to fit all of her toys into her suitcase even though it was clearly too small but even that stopped being funny because Carla knew what Jada was doing right now... had to be done at some point.

Between the two of them Carla knew that she and Jada had almost double the stuff they had came with and all of that stuff needed to be sorted out and packed.

So she got up and said she was going into the bedroom, Peter watched her as she took hold of the new suitcase that she had bought and it was mighty obvious to Peter that she was probably going to start packing.

Tears dribbled down Carla's cheeks as she began sorting through all of her and Jada's things. She started with their clothes and put those into the suitcase that she had come to Manchester with.

She left out an outfit for her and Jada to wear tonight and another one to wear to the airport but put every other item into her suitcase. She had to go into the kitchen and gather up some that had been in the dryer but within twenty minutes or so, Carla had finished with all of their clothes and started filling the rest of the space in the suitcase with some of Jada's birthday presents.

By the time Carla had finished putting most of Jada's new toys and books into her old and new suitcase, there was only enough room left for things such as shoes and accessories. She then went into the bathroom and gathered up all of the toys that Jada kept in there too.

As Carla collected all of the plastic toys that were left all over Peter's bathroom, she couldn't believe just how much stuff her little girl had acquired over the past few weeks and there were still all of the things that were in the living room to go.

Carla decided she wouldn't bother keeping her own shampoo and other bathroom products because there wasn't much room in her luggage left now so she decided tomorrow morning she would just throw it all out instead.

Simon arrived home from school as soon as he could because he knew he had a party to help prepare for and as he walked into his flat at three forty pm, he saw the sight of Jada sat in the middle of a pile of toys with her new suitcase open.

She had Simba and Ariel the Mermaid sat nearby, as if they were watching the whole situation and frowned at her suitcase as Simon closed the door and said,

"Hi Jada…" He swallowed hard as he then asked, "What are you doing?"

"I going on airplane, I need to put my toys in…" Jada replied, not actually having been told to do this by her mother or father but remembering that she had been told that she was going back to L.A soon.

"Ohh… I see." Simon said, half wanting to laugh and half wanting to cry. He hadn't realised his Dad was in the kitchen preparing a load of mini pizzas and sausage rolls and had only been made aware of his presence when he heard him say,

"No one's actually asked her to do that y'know…" Simon watched as Jada began putting in the smallest toys into her suitcase first this time.

"She's so clever…" Simon sighed, shaking his head as he took off his school coat. He said he was going to use the bathroom and then once he was done he would start helping his Dad but after using the toilet, he had realised that the bathroom looked strangely empty.

It took Simon a few moments to realise why the bathroom looked so odd to him and then he realised that all of Jada and most of Carla's things had gone.

There was no Peppa Pig bathtoys scattered all over the sides of the bath, no baby shampoo or conditioner left next to Carla's L'oreal hair products and there was no sign of Jada's little blue hairbrush which Carla kept next to hers on the sink.

Simon walked back out of the bathroom, trying hard not to let himself to get too upset and as he did so he almost crashed right into Carla who smiled at him weakly and said,

"Hi Si… how were school today?"

"Erm…" Simon began, thinking about the awful day he'd had and how distracted he'd been. He got in trouble in class for not paying attention and he had also argued with a few of the other kids in his class too. He had even decided to spend his entire lunch break all alone just because he was feeling so on edge.

Simon hesitated for a moment, knowing that if he told Carla about how awful his day had been that she'd blame herself, especially when she frowned a little at him in a concerned way and said,

"Si…?"

In the end the only thing that Simon could say was,

"Yeah it was alright… we're not doing too much cause it's almost the end of term."

"Bet you can't wait eh?" Carla asked with a smile as she and Simon walked into the living room together.

"Yeah…" He laughed although it was a false laugh because now he knew Carla and Jada weren't going to be around he actually dreaded the thought of his Christmas holidays.

"Mummy look!" Jada cried, she waved Carla over to where she was sat and as she walked over there, Carla saw that Jada had some how managed to get rather a lot of her toys in her new suitcase. "I did it!" She cheered and dance around her suitcase comically, proud of her accomplishment even though it almost killed the other three people that were in the room.

"Well done Jada." Carla said, putting her hand up so Jada could get a high five. Peter watched from the kitchen and smiled because Jada looked genuinely happy.

That was the only reason he had kept so calm today… because Jada was clearly content with her life and he knew that her going back to L.A was what was best for his daughter.

He had spent most of last night imagining the kind of life Jada could have growing up in California and he knew it would totally selfish of him to try and deny her of it… not matter how much it hurt to have her leave.

For a while Carla sat with Jada on the floor and helped her rearrange her suitcase because although she had put her things inside they were organised so she couldn't actually close it and as Jada ran off to the bedroom to find her old Minnie Mouse suitcase, Simon bent down to where Carla was sat and said,

"Do you need any help with anything?"

"No ta Si." Carla said, smiling at him appreciatively as she closed Jada's frozen suitcase, she had put all of the toys away and had even managed to get a few of Jada's other bits and bobs in there as well.

Simon sighed a little and didn't know what to do with him self whilst his Dad stayed in the kitchen and continue to cook mini pizzas and sausage rolls.

Ten more minutes went by before Carla and Jada were done and after a quick bit of television, Carla kissed Jada on the head and said,

"Right… well we should go and get ready for our party shouldn't we?"

"Party... party!" Jada cheered, waving her hands in the air and smiling as Carla picked her up off the sofa. Peter and Simon both smiled at how excited Jada was but the moment she and Carla had gone into the bedroom the smile disappeared of their faces.

They continued to work together to get the flat ready for the party and for the most part, Peter and Simon did it in silence.

Other than their initial conversation about the idea for the party, Simon and his Dad were just too sad to speak and they didn't talk again until the sound of Peter's buzzer echoed around the flat.

"Who's that?" Simon asked, looking at the clock because it was only five thirty and the party guests weren't due to arrive until six.

"No idea…" Peter said, going over to his intercom to answer it, Simon watched his Dad pick up the phone and then say, "Oh… come up Dad."

"Granddad…" Simon said quietly, as Peter pressed the enter button on his intercom to let his Dad up. "He's early…" Simon said to his Dad, who nodded but who was then diverted because Carla and Jada had re-entered the living room.

Simon turned around to see Carla walking towards him and his Dad, hand in hand with Jada.

Jada was wearing a light pink short-sleeved dress that was covered in sequins and underneath she had one a pair of white tights with silver shoes. Her brown hair had been brushed and tied up into a neat little bun and she looked utterly adorable as she smiled down at her dress and said,

"Sparky dress."

"I think she means sparkly." Carla said and she was also dressed in sequins although her outfit was a lot less sparkly and it was only her black top that was slightly adorned with some black sequins. Carla had left her own hair as normal but had specially done her make up, outlining her eyes in black but using waterproof mascara and eyeliner because she was sure she was going to need it tonight. She had on a pair of tight black high-rise jeans on the bottom and she smiled at Peter, who cleared his throat as Jada approached him to show off her dress and said,

"Look at me."

"I am." Peter nodded as he bent down to Jada and gave her a cuddle. Carla bit her lip as she watched Peter and Jada's embrace and he kissed Jada on the cheek before saying,

"You both look… beautiful…" Peter then turned his attention to Carla as he stood up and said, "You really do." Carla went to respond but was caught off guard when Ken suddenly walked into the flat. "Oh… Hi Ken." She said, not sure what exactly she was going to have said to Peter but sort of glad that they'd been interrupted.

"Hello Carla…" Ken said, nodding as Jada waved excitedly at Ken and said,

"Hello Granddad." She bounded up to him as Carla looked around the flat. She almost had tears in her eyes as she smiled at a fixated Peter and said,

"It looks great in ere…" She then looked at Simon, knowing he was probably the one responsible for the banner and the balloons and said, "Thank you Simon... really."

"You're welcome." Simon said bravely, nodding at Carla whilst his Dad still stood staring at Carla in awe, Ken had been carrying a gift bag when he had walked into the flat and as he walked up to Carla he awkwardly said,

"I've brought you and Jada's Christmas presents over…"

"Oh." Carla replied as Ken handed the gift bag to her. She gingerly took it off him as he smiled warmly at her and said,

"I had hoped I'd be giving them to you both on Christmas day but… alas."

"Oh... I'm sorry it's all so last minute Ken…" Carla began but Ken shook his head and gave Carla's hands a supportive touch as he said,

"Don't say sorry Carla. Peter told me about your new job offer. As devastating as it is that you're going so soon, I feel that you're obviously doing what you feel is best for you and Jada… Just know that I will always support you, after all you're family."

"Thanks Ken." Carla said, close to tears as Jada had spotted the gift bag and got on her tiptoes as she said,

"Mummy what in there."

"Granddad has brought us some Christmas presents." Carla said, fighting back the tears as Ken smiled again and said to Jada,

"But you can't open them until Christmas Day okay Jada?" Jada nodded at Ken obediently and put her hands up to Carla as she said,

"Mummy give it me, I will put it under tree." Ken laughed and said,

"Good idea Jada." So Carla had to hand it over to her although she would have much preferred to put it in the bedroom and into the suitcase she'd packed so it was something else that she didn't have to remember tomorrow morning.

It also hurt Carla to see that Jada had put the presents from Ken under the tree because it proved that Jada really didn't understand what was happening.

Yes she knew that they were going back to California but Jada didn't quite know that they would be missing Christmas in Weatherfield.

"I've got a present for you in the bedroom Ken, remind me to give it to you before you go okay?" Carla said, trying not to think about what Christmas Day in California might consist of.

"I will." Ken said as Jada returned from the tree smiling from ear to ear and clutching a candy cane she had pulled off it.

"Mummy I have this now?" She asked, almost batting her eyelashes.

"No Jada you'll get your dress all sticky darlin." Carla said, shaking her head and taking the candy cane of Jada who screwed up her face and folded her arms.

"I hungry." Jada said crossly, although Carla was sure that her little girl was just after something sweet.

"Well go n ask Daddy for a little pizza then if your so hungry." Carla said, pointing over to Peter who had literally just stopped watching her. He nodded and waved Jada over as Carla went and put the candy cane back on the tree. Jada ran towards her Dad in the kitchen and Ken followed gingerly.

"You're early Dad." Peter said as he picked up a few mini pizzas and put it on a paper plate for Jada. He then handed it to her and said, "Take it to the sofa carefully love… n don't get your dress dirty."

"Kay Daddy." Jada nodded, slowly taking her plate off her Dad and walking ever so carefully to the sofa where Carla had sat down with Simon.

"I wanted to come early because I felt like you might need some support." Ken said, walking into the kitchen properly and watching his son closely.

"Oh… right." Peter said, clearing his throat and giving his Dad an appreciative nod. "Thanks…"

"I know this is a rather ridiculous question but how has today gone?" Ken asked.

"Okay… until now of course." Peter said, sighing as he put the kettle on. "I had a really nice day with Jada but then Carla came home from shopping with these new suitcases and well, it's gone downhill ever since."

"Peter…" Ken began, finding it hard to come to terms with the fact that Carla and Jada were leaving because he had only found out about it early this morning.

Peter had gone over to his Dad's house and was in a complete state as he explained the excruciating situation to his Dad and Sister.

He explained all about Carla's new job but not about their kiss on Jada's birthday and how he had ended up knocking her back and as Ken stood in the kitchen he couldn't help but ask,

"What happened?"

"What?" Peter sighed, "What do ya mean what happened? I told you… Carla has a new job."

"I know that." Ken replied, almost tutting at his son. "But Peter I'm finding it hard to believe that Carla would decided to just up and leave like this… not without something triggering the decision of course."

"So what are you saying?" Peter asked, starting to look irate. "That I did something?"

"No of course not." Ken said instantly, shaking his head at his son and reaching over to take his shoulders. "I just can't get my head around any of this that's all."

"Yeah well…" Peter sighed miserably, "Neither can I." He looked over at Carla who was sat talking to Simon about something and swallowed hard as he said, "I honestly don't know what I'm going to do with em Dad."

"Oh Peter…" Ken said again, hating the distraught look on Peter's face as he turned back to face him. "I know it's difficult…"

"Dad… I hate to sound rude but you really… really don't." Peter sighed, he looked over at Carla and Simon again who were laughing at the little dance Jada was doing in front of the Christmas Tree. "I mean look at them…" he sighed again deeply and felt his eyes prick with tears. "So perfect…"

"Peter… I really hate seeing you like this." Ken said, shaking his head at Peter who watched his family have fun on the sofa.

"You know what I hate about this whole situation the most…" Peter said forlornly, "Well other than the fact that Carla n Jada will be gone of course…" Ken shrugged slightly. "It's how much time I've wasted… like I've barley spoke to Carla since Jada's Birthday… well not properly anyway… I just wish I had spent more time with her y'know... let her know that after everything... I stll love her like mad."

"It's not too late Peter. I mean you can spend the party with her… and tell her tonight…" Ken said firmly. The sound of Peter's buzzer went off again which made him roll his eyes and say,

"That'll be some more party guests. I better get that…"

* * *

"Hey what you doing in ere?" said Michelle, standing in the doorway of Peter's bedroom, looking at Carla who was sat on the bed holding something in her hand.

It was almost seven fifteen pm and the party guests had started to arrive just after six. The first to arrive after Ken of course was Michelle and Steve and after them came Tracy and Amy.

Roy came along to the party along with his new girlfriend Cathy and then so did Maria, Tyrone and Fizz. A lot of the Underworld employees came along to the party too which surprised Carla as Peter had secretly invited them and by half past six, his flat was almost full to the brim.

A lot of the guests came baring little Christmas presents for Carla and Jada and at first the party was utterly joyous.

At first everyone was chatting away merrily and with the Christmas music in the background, the party could have been a standard Christmas one but soon Carla had started to feel as if it was all too much and needed to escape to have some time on her own.

"I'm just… having a moment." Carla said, as Michelle got closer to her. She looked down and saw that Carla was staring down at a photo.

"Awww…" Michelle said looking down at the photograph Carla had in hand, It was the picture Peter kept in his room up on the shelf.

It was a picture of Carla, Peter and Simon with a very tiny Jada, who was only a few days old.

"Look how little she was."

"I know." Carla said laughing bitter-sweetly, "This picture is literally two years old today… How weird is that?" Michelle sat down on the bed next to Carla and smiled at the photo again as she said,

"I love you n Jada's outfits tonight, very Christmassy."

"Thanks…" Carla said, sighing as she put the photo down on the bed next to her. "They were going to be our Christmas Day Outfits but… well we won't be ere so it doesn't really matter now does it?"

"You can still wear em." Michelle said awkwardly, she sighed a little and watched as Carla shook her head slowly and said,

"I dunno… I don't reckon me n Jada will be going anywhere on Christmas Day, We'll probably just stay in the apartment." Michelle didn't say anything at first, she just nodded slowly as Carla sniffed and then said, "Or maybe we'll go to Susie's… not sure yet."

"What does she think of all this? What did she say when you said that you were coming back?" Michelle asked, knowing that Susie was the next person in the best friend line after her.

"She were shocked. She said she was sure I'd stay ere for good, if not for good for Christmas at least." Carla said, thinking about the conversation she'd had with Susie during the early hours of the morning. "She said after everything I told her about being ere that I'd not want to go back to L.A."

"She weren't the only one." Michelle nodded slowly, "I mean… honestly Carla for the past few weeks... I've been thinking you'd stay too." Carla didn't reply to this comment, in fact she stayed silent for the longest time. When she eventually did speak she sighed and said,

"I really didn't expect this…"

"What?" Michelle asked, leaning forward to look at Carla properly and not quite understanding what she meant.

"This." Carla said quietly, gesturing around the bedroom and closing her eyes. "Being ere… When I booked those flights to come back to Weatherfield, I never dreamed it would turn out like this. You know with me n Jada staying ere… me n Peter getting on so well for the most part... everything being pretty much perfect."

"I don't think anyone did." Michelle said softly, she put her arm around Carla who opened her eyes and quietly said,

"Chelle… Why hasn't he begged us to stay yet?" Michelle was left speechless for a moment and couldn't quite answer as Carla sniffed again and said, "I thought… well I thought by now he would have said something… done something even…"

"Would it make a difference though?" Michelle asked, staring at Carla, "Would it make you stay if he did."

"I…" She paused, "I don't know Chelle… I honestly just thought that by now he would ave tried to get me to stay."

"Well the night is still young, you never know, Peter might have a whole speech prepared." Michelle said sighing, she smiled at Carla sadly and pulled her close as she said, "Uh… I'm so gonna miss you."

"Don't." Carla said shaking her head admantly, "We're not doing that... we're not saying goodbye tonight, You're gonna come round tomorrow right, see me off to the airport."

"Of course." Michelle said, sniffing hard as Carla wiped her cheek.

"Good." Carla replied, she smiled half-heartedly at Michelle who looked over at all the suitcases and said,

"Wow... It looks like you're all set then."

"Physically yeah." Carla nodded, "Emotionally… nowhere near… I keep asking meself why I'm doing this. It's so hard Chelle but… I guess... I've figured it would be harder if I stayed and things went wrong... I'm not sure how I'd recover if I lost Peter again..."

"I totally get that Carla… but ave you ever stopped to consider what might happen if things don't go wrong?" Michelle asked delicately.

"It's me n Peter…" Carla said with a sigh, "Things always go wrong in the end... it's easier if I go now..."

"Really?" Michelle said with a raised eyebrow, "Honestly Carla… n I'm not just saying this because I want you to stay but I'm saying it because I really think you n Peter could make it."

"Do you?" Carla asked as the door suddenly flew open. Carla and Michelle jumped but then laughed when they saw Jada stood in the doorway.

"Mummy what wrong?" She asked, looking at Carla who had tears in her eyes. She walked over to the bed where Michelle smiled and quickly said,

"Mummy's just excited that's all…"

"Cited?" Jada asked, looking at Carla who nodded and said,

"I'm excited to get on the airplane tomorrow aren't you?" Jada thought for a little moment but the next words that came out of her mouth only made Carla feel worse.

"Yes… Daddy coming too?"

There was a silence.

Michelle felt her own mouth grow dry so she couldn't even begin to imagine how Carla felt about this question right now.

This was the first time Jada had even asked about Peter coming to Los Angeles and Carla had secretly hoped that Jada had not even thought to ask about her Dad and if he was coming or not.

"No." Carla swallowed, "Daddy's not coming." Jada looked confused for a moment as she sat on her Mum's lap.

"Why?" Jada asked, looking up and into Carla's eyes in a way that she couldn't stand.

"Because… he has to stay here." Carla said, struggling not to cry as Jada gazed up at her.

"Why?" Jada asked again, in true toddler fashion.

"To look after Simon." Carla replied with a sniff. Michelle had to turn away as she couldn't bear to watch this scene between Carla and Jada unfold.

"Simon come on the plane." Jada said, looking confused as she then said, "And Daddy, Mummy and me."

"Simon can't come he's got school…" Carla began, hoping that would be enough for Jada but of course it wasn't.

Meanwhile, back in the living room and kitchen, Simon was stood with his arms folded and his back against the wall.

He was having a dreadful time at the party and hated talking to every single person there.

He couldn't help but resent them for being so happy and couldn't understand why no one was actually crying yet and why no one was doing anything to stop Carla from going.

He tutted as some of the Underworld gang started laughing loudly at something trivial and sighed heavily as his Dad and his Granddad walked towards him.

"You look how I feel." Peter said, watching his son who nodded and said,

"This party is crap, I can't wait for it to be over."

"Oh Simon." Ken began, "Don't be like that."

"Well how do you expect me to be Granddad?" Simon asked, although he was trying desperately hard not to sound rude. "I'm loosing me baby sister and I've only just got her back."

"I realise that Simon." Ken said and then he looked at Peter who look just as downtrodden as his son.

"I think you better get used to this Dad…" Peter said, "Things are going to get pretty depressing around ere once Carla and Jada go."

"You know what… I really think that you two need to take a moment to think about how this must be for Carla…" Ken said, staring at Peter and Simon who stood next to each other with the same look on their face. "Yes you two are devastated to see Carla and Jada go but you two get to stay here… together. You two will still have me, Tracy, Amy… You'll still have a family around. It must be very lonely out there for Carla in Los Angeles, she has no family out there expect for Jada. Imagine how she must be feeling about that?"

Peter felt guilty as he listened to his Dad speak, he knew that Ken was right and that it must be really difficult and isolating for Carla in Los Angeles. He imagined how lonely things must be for her and hated the way it made him feel.

"She doesn't ave to go though." Simon said childishly, making Ken frown.

"Now Simon you know that's not fair." Ken said, "This decision that Carla has made couldn't have been easy for her at all. She's doing what she thinks is best for her and Jada and whilst the decision is thoroughly upsetting we must support it."

"Your Granddad's right Si." Peter said hoarsely, as much as he hated to admit it of course. "Carla needs us to support her."

"She truly does." Ken nodded and then he looked directly at Peter and said, "Remember what I said Peter… it's not too late to tell her how you feel."

Peter swallowed hard and nodded at his Dad, knowing that once again he was right. As hard as it would be he knew he really wanted to spend more time with Carla, even if it was going to be for just a few hours and he really wanted to tell Carla, that he still loved her.

* * *

Please review :)


	24. Why?

Peter took a deep breath before he decided to go in search for Carla and Jada, he scanned the room once more to make sure that they weren't somewhere in there amongst all the party guests but they weren't.

After guessing that they must be in the bedroom, Peter walked towards it leaving Simon with his Granddad Ken.

"I really hope he tells her how he feels…" Ken said, watching Peter make his way through the party guests and down the little hallway to his bedroom.

"Yeah… me too, Before it's too late." Simon nodded, almost wanting to cross his fingers for good luck because he knew his Dad would probably need it to gather up the courage to be totally honest with Carla.

Peter stopped just before entering his bedroom and after giving the party guests another quick glance to make sure they were all occupied, He knocked on the door to make his presence known and then he gingerly pushed it open.

Carla, Jada and Michelle were still sat on the bed and at first glance they all looked as if they were just having a nice moment together.

"I wonder where you lot had got to…" Peter began, but then he saw the troubled look on both Carla and Michelle's faces and said, "Hey…" He started walking into the bedroom properly, looking very concerned at Carla especially whose eyes were once again red.

Michelle very quickly took Peter's arrival as an opportunity to make a swift exit from the bedroom and left it as Peter walked over to the bed where Carla and Jada were sat.

"What's going on?" He asked, as he sat down on the bed, directly next to Carla so that their legs were touching and so he could reach over and poke Jada gently on the nose.

She giggled cutely at Peter but Carla remained solemn because she was still finding it hard to explain to Jada why Peter wasn't going to be coming with them tomorrow.

Peter grinned at Carla's rather intense expression and gave her a little poke on the nose too.

"Oi." She said, shaking her head and suddenly giving him a wide smile, especially when Jada giggled again and reached up to do the same as her Dad had just done.

"You gonna tell me what's wrong then?" Peter asked, nudging Carla with his elbow, she was quiet for a moment so he just casually raised an eyebrow and then said, "Or am I gonna ave to poke you again to find out?"

"Certainty not." Carla said, she looked down at Jada and then said with a depressing sigh, "It's… Jada. She asked me if you were coming tomorrow n I just didn't know what to tell her to be honest."

"Oh." Peter replied, rather taken aback because he too had not been expecting Jada to ask such a question.

He knew his little girl was slightly intelligent for her age but he hadn't expected her to ask such a question and the idea of her little brain really thinking about the situation, made Peter's throat grow a little dry.

"Yeah… _oh_." Carla sighed again, she shook her head and sure enough, Jada took the opportunity to look up at her Dad and say,

"Daddy come on plane tomorrow." It took Peter a good ten seconds or so to actually respond to his daughter.

He looked at Carla who was staring ahead into space and he felt his heart ache as he eventually he shook his head down at his daughter.

Peter wasn't about to lie to Jada… He knew full well that he couldn't go to Los Angeles tomorrow and that is why he shook his head at her and said,

"No love… I'm not coming on the plane tomorrow."

"Why?" Jada asked, frowning slightly and this was when Carla stopped looking as if she might stare into space and instead gave Peter a look which almost said,

 _"See."_ Peter leant forward a little so Jada could see him better and said,

"I can't Jada…"

"Why?" Jada asked again with her big brown eyes wide, staring up at her Daddy in a way that neither he nor his Mother could stand for much longer. Carla held her breath and tried not to cry again as Peter smiled at Jada through his pain and said,

"Because I ave to stay ere n look after Simon, he has to go to school here I'm afraid." Peter was unaware that Carla had already tried to explain about Simon's school to Jada and wondered if this would be enough… of course it wasn't and Jada proceeded to ask him why in a way that was almost unbearable.

"I also ave to look after Granddad Ken… and Auntie Tracy's Shop because Auntie Tracy isn't very good at looking after it on her own." Peter said, chuckling as he said the part about Tracy and hoping it would lighten up the whole conversation.

Jada laughed a little but Carla could tell that the laughter Peter had just let out was a mask and that deep down inside he was finding this conversation very very difficult.

"I'm really sorry I can't come tomorrow Jada…" Peter began again, clearing his throat and hating just how dry it had become. "But everything is going to be okay you know why?"

"Why?" Jada asked as her Mum gave her a quick kiss on the head and squeezed her tightly.

"Well first of all because you've got the best Mummy in the whole entire world…" Peter began, smiling at Carla who looked at him endearingly and the she shook her head because right now she was in the process of taking her little girl away from her Dad and her family and that really didn't make her feel like a good mother at all. "I know she's really going to look after you Jada… and I also know that everything is going to be okay because we'll still see each other, Jada me n you are going to speak every single day, on the iPad or on the computer… Or on Mummy's phone." Peter said, nodding assuringly as he spoke although he was close to tears himself.

He knew that seeing Jada on a computer screen or a phone screen was never going to be anywhere near enough contact for him to be able to cope but he knew that Jada wouldn't really think into things that much and as she thought for a moment, he couldn't help but look at Carla who had a tear running down her left cheek.

"Can I talk to Simon too on puter?" Jada asked, luckily not being able to see the state her mother was in right now.

"Of course and Granddad and Auntie Tracy and Amy… It'll be fun." Peter said, his mouth still dry and his heart still aching due actually having to have this conversation. "I promise Jada, we will see each other every day." Peter added, a tear ran down his cheek as he spoke and Carla now had even more tears pouring down her face but Jada still didn't see because she was staring up at her Dad happily.

"Every day." Jada repeated, nodding slowly up at Peter.

"Every day." Peter nodded back, leaning forward and kissing Jada softly on the head. "Promise." Peter said, holding his little finger up in front of Jada and getting her to copy him so that they could make a pinky promise.

"Promise." Jada said, nodding as if she really did get the concept of a promise before smiling at her Daddy joyfully. Peter smiled back at her before turning his attention to an almost inconsolable Carla who was trying so hard not to lose it in front of their little girl.

"Jada, why don't you go n tell Simon about our promise whilst I talk to Mummy for a minute?"

"Okay." Jada said, climbing off Carla's lap and running towards the bedroom door. "See later." She cheerily said she pulled the door open and left Carla and Peter alone.

There was an uncomfortable silence between Carla and Peter and for a moment he wondered if maybe he should have kept Jada around so they weren't so alone but he knew that he couldn't exactly pour his heart out to Carla and tell her exactly how he felt with Jada there… After all he didn't know exactly how Carla was going to react to it and he didn't want Jada to witness anything that was anywhere near unpleasant.

Peter looked at Carla again who was still crying and as he wiped her tears, shook his head gently at her and said,

"Please don't cry..." Not only did Peter really want to tell Carla how he felt about her but his Dad's words about her being alone in L.A had really struck a cord with him and most of all, he didn't want her to feel alone.

He gently put an arm around her, pulled her body close to him and for a moment they just sat in their embrace in silence.

Peter just held Carla close for a moment, trying to gather up all the courage to just come out and say that he loved her and as he tried to talk himself into it, he noticed the photo that was next to him on the bed and smiled down at it, although the sight of a teeny tiny Jada made him feel even more emotional than before and he had to look away from the photo in the end before he was the one in floods of tears.

"Look… I know we haven't really talked much over the past few days…" Peter began, letting go of Carla slightly so she could see him properly, she gave him a heartfelt smile although her eyes were still teary as he said, "But I just wanna say that I'm so sorry."

"Sorry?" Carla repeated looking confused. "What for?"

"Oh god where do I start?" Peter sighed, wondering whether to just come out with how much he loved Carla or to ease into gently. He went for the latter option as he next said, "I really should ave been more supportive when you first told me that you were heading back to California…" Peter sighed then, knowing that saying sorry for the amount of time they had wasted over the past twenty-four hours or so just wasn't going to be enough… it wasn't going to get that time back and it wasn't go to make Carla choose to stay either.

"Peter I don't blame you for being upset… I'd be horrified if this decision I've made didn't ave the reaction it did." Carla said, wiping her eyes one more time.

"Still though." Peter said, shaking his head as he went over his behaviour over the past few days and deciding that he really needed to just bite the bullet because time really wasn't on his side right now. "Stupidly I've only just realised how hard it must be for you out in L.A on your own... n I just wanna say that… if you ever wanna come n stay ere… or…" Peter gulped nervously, "Or if… y'know you did change your mind at last minute n decide to stay you n Jada will be one hundred per-cent welcome ere anytime… After all this is your home... n it always will be." Peter said softly, watching Carla lovingly.

"Thanks Peter." She said, nodding at him gratefully and ever so gently took hold of his hand.

The touch of Carla's hand on his made Peter get goose bumps but he tried really hard to keep calm and at first he thought that this would be the perfect moment to maybe mention how deep he was in love but instead he found himself asking,

"So… what does Christmas in L.A entail then? What's it like spending the day in the sunshine?" Carla let out a little laugh and shrugged at Peter's question before she said,

"It's alright I spose… It's nice to ave the option to visit the beach on Christmas Day… it's not as empty as you might think, I took Jada down their last year in her little pushchair with Susie… they also had the pier n all the rides open n everything… they had all this Christmas music playing, Jada were only a little thing then but It were a lot of fun actually she loved it…" Carla said although she trailed off because she didn't want Peter to think that she was trying to rub it in or anything.

"I bet." Peter said quietly, his face said it all and Carla shook her head at him as she quickly said,

"I'm sorry Peter… I really wasn't trying to rub it in-"

"No it's fine, I asked." Peter rapidly said, actually pulling his hand away from Carla and hating that she was now the one apologising when it was supposed to have been his turn to say sorry.

There was another horrible silence between Carla and Peter as they sat in his bedroom alone and Peter hated how this whole conversation was starting to turn out.

He wondered if he should just blurt out his love now as he felt like it really wouldn't make things worse but then Carla surprised him and spoke first,

"Peter… I… I really don't wanna go n leave things between us in a negative way." She said, turning her body so that she was facing him. "I mean I'd love to come n visit ere as much as possible but I can't do that if things between us are awkward or are bad… I want to be able to come ere n know that we could all ave a good time together..."

"I know…" Peter mumbled, wondering if sitting here and revealing that he desperately loved Carla would be something that mad things awkward. "I want that too Carla… I really do… as I said, this is you two's home… I mean that."

"Y'know... for the most part, me n you ave been on really good terms since I've been ere n… It's up to us to make sure we really keep things that way… not just for Jada n Simon's sake but for our own sakes too… it'll make things a lot easier on us don't you think?" Carla explained.

Her reasons for saying what she was saying were because she really felt as if she and Peter could start arguing again soon if they weren't careful.

She honestly had no idea just how close Peter had become to admitting his true feelings for her and she had no idea just how much he needed for her to admit that she loved him too.

"You're right…" Peter eventually nodded.

He finally sat and thought about what might happen if Carla did stay in town with Jada and what might happen if they weren't strong enough to make it.

He imagined the arguing… the pain… the heartache and as Peter imagined what it would be like to loose them both again, he knew that he simply couldn't go through that again… Like Carla he really felt as if he wasn't strong enough to go through a break up and he finally realised her reasons for deciding to leave.

Yes… A large part of Peter still wanted to sit there and beg Carla to stay but after everything he had just gone over in his head, he couldn't quite gather up the words to do it.

He also definitely didn't want to do or say anything that would discourage Carla from coming to visit in the future so he shook his head slightly, acting as if he was shaking his declaration of love right out of his mind and then he said,

"I think me n you should just try n just make the most of the time we have left together."

"I think that's a good idea." Carla said, she gave Peter a little smile and then said, "N just so ya know… What you said to Jada about speaking everyday n that… it's definitely going to happen. As I said I'm gonna keep you updated about everything to do with her every chance I get. In fact you won't be able to pick up your phone without a notification from me being on there."

"Good." Peter nodded and he somehow managed to smile back at Carla, she could still see the complete look of pain in his eyes and put both arms up as she said,

"Come ere." Her arms went around Peter's within seconds and the only thing he could do was pull he close to him and do exactly what he had suggested, make the most of it.

"Peter…" Carla said softly, he pulled away from Carla slightly so he could see her face but before she could continue the door to the bedroom flew open again with in seconds and at first, Carla and Peter had just assumed that it was Jada again… only it wasn't.

"Oh there you are." Said Sean with a glass of wine in his hand, He looked at how Carla was sitting practically in Peter's arms and then said, "Woops am I interrupting something?"

Carla and Peter both looked at each other slightly amused as they pulled away and then shook their heads, which led a slightly tipsy Sean to then say,

"Well in that case… come out ere then Carla, we've barley seen ya all night, we've got to make the most of you whilst you're ere…" Carla nodded at Sean and reluctantly got up off the bed, followed by Peter who sighed a little and secretly decided that tonight he hated Sean a little bit.

Carla and Peter both walked into the living room and whilst Carla walked straight over to where some of her employees were stood. Jada was busy playing with Ruby whilst Peter walked straight over to his Dad and Simon who were both waiting with bated breath.

"Well? What happened?" Simon asked impatiently.

"We talked…" Peter said, he looked over at Carla who was already deep in a conversation with Beth and Sinead and then back at Simon before he said, "I… didn't tell her."

"Oh Peter why?" Ken asked, clearly disappointed as Simon closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Because…" Peter said, nodding towards Carla who was now laughing at something Sean had said, "I just couldn't… Carla wants to leave tomorrow with us on good terms n I really can't spoil that for her… for us…"

"That makes no sense." Simon said shaking his head almost angrily.

"Si... I can't explain it right now…" Peter said, trying to explain but Simon shook his head again and said,

"Yeah or it could change everything… Dad she might stay ere, If you tell her she might not go…" Simon hissed because Michelle had entered the kitchen to get a drink, there was an awkward silence whilst Michelle was in the kitchen area and she tried really hard to get out of there as quick as possible because she knew that she was obviously interrupting something between Peter, Simon and Ken.

"She won't stay…" Peter said, shaking his head after Michelle had left the kitchen.

"How the hell do you know if you haven't asked her?" Simon asked, clearing getting frustrated with his Dad.

"Alright Simon… I think you should calm down." Ken said, gently touching his grandson on the arm and trying to comfort him. Simon just breathed out instead of saying anything else, knowing that his Dad was hurting too and not wanting to make the situation any worse then it could get.

"So… that's it then." Simon eventually said quietly, looking at his Dad in pity as he said, "Are you just gonna let them both go… you're just going to let Carla leave without telling her how you feel… n without hearing how she feels about you?"

Peter really didn't want to answer this question at all and luckily for him, he didn't have to because Jada suddenly appeared at his feet and she smiled joyfully as she said,

"Come dance Daddy." Peter nodded down at Jada and took hold of her out stretched hands as they walked out of the kitchen.

Peter and Jada danced to the cheesy music, which had ended up being turned right up and as more and more of the party guests got up to dance, Simon tried really hard not to let his frustrations get the better of him.

He stayed in the kitchen as his Dad and little sister danced to the music and when Carla was slightly forced by some of her rather tipsy employees to dance with Peter, Simon really couldn't understand how on earth they could both be so stubborn.

He watched as his Dad and Carla swayed sheepishly to the music playing and was trying his hardest to work out why and how they were able to pretend as if they weren't totally and completely in love.

Simon rolled his eyes, never knowing why adults had to make things so difficult. He stayed in the kitchen for a long time, in the hope that he wouldn't have to talk to people and hear them say,

"Cheer up it's Christmas."

Every so often, Jada would bounce into the kitchen and talk to Simon as she helped herself to some finger foods and even though Simon thoroughly enjoyed the time he spent with Jada, he couldn't help but become more frustrated because once again, his family was being torn apart.

* * *

At around eight pm, whilst Simon was still stood in the kitchen and whilst Carla had stopped dancing and was mid conversation with Michelle, Someone suddenly turned the music down and Sean said,

"I think we need a little speech…" He pointed at Carla who shook her head but Sean still said, "Come on Carla!" She shook her head again but her employees were having none of it and pulled her up off the sofa she had been sat on.

"Erm…" She began, clearing her throat nervously as the room full of people stared at her. She bent down and picked up Jada who had wondered over to her and who was obviously wondering what was going on. "I guess I want to say thank you to everyone who has come over tonight…"

Peter watched Carla as she spoke, knowing just how much she hated being the centre of attention like this and once again, hating Sean once again for making her do it.

"Obviously I'm gonna miss you all like mad…" Carla smiled, although she had tears in her eyes again. She raised an eyebrow at all of the factory gang and then said, "Yes even you lot..." They all laughed and nodded as Carla then turned her attention to Michelle who was still sat on the sofa almost in tears. "I promise we'll be back for a visit before you know it…" She sniffed, holding Jada tightly who just rested her head on her Mum's shoulder because not only did she not know what was happening but she was starting to get tired again. "And… it won't be like last time… I promise." Carla said, turning to look at an equally distraught Peter and Simon now. "I won't be gone for years… just months… I promise."

Peter nodded slowly at Carla, knowing that she really would visit whenever she could but Simon on the other hand was unable to nod.

Simon shook his head anxiously and suddenly blurted out,

"No!"

Every head in the room swivelled around to where he was still stood in the kitchen, where he had been stood for half the night and as they looked at Simon he shook his head again and said to Peter, "Dad… we just can't let this happen."

"Simon…" Peter began exasperatedly but Simon shook his head again, unable to be swayed and deciding since he had already made a scene, he might as well continue.

"Sorry Dad, I ave to do this… Please don't go Carla." He begged, almost in tears and not caring that everyone was staring at him. "Please."

"Si…" Carla said, putting Jada down onto Michelle's lap and then reaching for Simon's hand because she wanted to take him somewhere more private to talk.

"No." Simon cried, snatching his hand away from Carla angrily and making her jump slightly.

The party guests all tried to make it seem as if they were looking away and not paying attention but they didn't really do a good job of it, everyone looked worried to see such a scene unfold before them.

Ken and Michelle both had tears in their eyes whilst Fizz had a hand over her mouth and the rest of the Underworld team looked distressed, even Tracy looked as if she might burst into tears at any moment.

"This is the most normal I've felt in years…" Simon sniffed, a tear running down his cheek as Peter bit his lip and moved towards him. "I can't imagine my life without you n Jada in it n neither can me Dad… He's just not saying cause he's stupid n scared… Please… please stay ere Carla… I need you… I need my sister… we both need you so please stay."

"Simon… I... can't." Carla said, with tears running down her cheeks, Michelle got up off the sofa with Jada in her arms, trying to distract her by taking her into the kitchen for some left over fairy cakes or something.

"Why?" Simon cried, "Why not?" He looked at his Dad pleadingly and then said, "Do something Dad… please."

"Come on Si…" Peter said softly, ignoring the own tears that were sliding down his cheeks and pulling Simon towards him by his shoulders. Amy took hold of her Mum's hand whilst Steve went into the kitchen to comfort Michelle who was also upset about the scene that was unfolding before her.

"Please…" Simon cried, heart wrenchingly looking at Carla as his Dad pulled him away from the living room. "Just think about it… please…" Carla couldn't bare to watch as Simon practically got dragged towards his bedroom by his Dad, the bedroom door quickly closed but still, everyone heard Simon shriek,

"Why didn't you do something Dad?" He shoved Peter hard in the chest and then in the very next second he threw both arms around his Dad in a fit of rage. "Why didn't you make her stay?" Simon practically sobbed into his Dad's shoulder, "Why?"

"Because…" Peter began, sniffing as more tears surfaced, "They're going Simon… as much as it's going to hurt us… Carla thinks it's for the best… Si your Granddad was right… we ave to support her decision."

Simon didn't say anything, he couldn't. He was still in tears as his Dad held him close and it wasn't even a few seconds before Peter was crying too.

Back in the living room, Carla was still stood on the spot she had been on as she watched Simon get tragically dragged away by his Dad. She took a deep breath as Fizz was brave enough to speak up first and say,

"I think we better get going really, get the kids to bed n stuff..." Suddenly everyone sprung into action and started getting their coats on as Michelle walked over to Carla with an oblivious Jada by her side.

"Carla…" She said quietly, looking at her best friend who was in silent tears. Jada was licking a fairy cake and looked around at all the people, who were getting ready to leave as she said,

"Is party finished?"

"Yes." Michelle said, smiling down at Jada and quickly saying, "Everyone's tired, they ave to go home now." She looked back at Carla worryingly who wiped her eyes quickly and said,

"Thanks for comin everyone..." She then went to start giving the party guests some goodbye hugs as Ken approached Michelle. He looked down at Jada who was content with eating her cake and then back up at Michelle who said,

"Do ya reckon we should go in there n see if they're okay?" Ken shook his head slowly as Tracy and Amy both approached him with their coats on.

"We're gonna go Dad…" Tracy said, looking unusually moved by what had just happened and taking hold of Amy's hand. "We'll be seeing Carla off tomorrow so we can say goodbye to her then."

"Okay." Ken nodded, "I'll catch up with you later… I just want to make sure Peter is okay before I leave."

"Alright." Tracy said uncertainty, sure that her brother probably wouldn't be okay ever again. She said goodbye to her Dad as Carla continued saying goodbye to all the people who had taken the time to come to her and Jada's leaving party.

Meanwhile, In Simon's bedroom, He was still in the arms of his equally as distraught father, he still couldn't understand why his Dad hadn't just come out with the truth and so he simply had to pull away from him and once again ask,

"Dad… why couldn't you just tell Carla you love her?"

"Because…" Peter sniffed, "Love… well love isn't enough Si… You won't understand now but when you're older n in love, you will… This isn't me patronising you either, it's the truth... I do love Carla… you're right n maybe… maybe she's crazy enough to still love me but… it's not enough to make things work between us."

"But…" Simon began.

"Simon… you said so your self that this is the happiest you've ever been right?" Peter interrupted, Simon nodded slowly and miserably as his Dad walked over to his bed and sat down on it. Simon followed him as he sighed and said, "So imagine if Carla were to stay… imagine if she stayed n everything went wrong again… I couldn't do that to you again… I couldn't do that to Jada… I know that it sounds screwed up but it's better this way…"

"It's better to ave Carla n Jada miles n miles away?" Simon replied although in a frustrating way he could see where his Dad was coming from.

"It's better to ave Carla n Jada miles n miles away but know that they feel comfortable to come back whenever they please then to not ave them come back at all." Peter said, wiping his eyes as Simon finally looked as if he understood a little more than he had done before.

* * *

After everyone had left, It was just Ken, Michelle, Carla and Jada in the living room. Jada had clambered up onto the sofa and was already watching television whilst Ken and Michelle waited anxiously in the kitchen.

Carla walked over to them with her arms folded and had another set of fresh tears running down her cheeks as she looked at Ken, she went to speak but she was too overcome so she shook her head instead.

"It's okay." Ken said softly, giving Carla a sympathetic look as she stood before him.

"No…" Carla practically croaked, "It's not in fact this is the furthest thing from okay ever…"

"This is not your fault." Michelle said, shaking her head because she knew Carla was standing there and blaming her self.

"Oh really? Then whose fault is it?" Carla replied, sniffing and shaking her own head because she honestly couldn't believe what had happened.

"It's no one's fault Carla…" Ken began, "Simon's just very sad at the thought of losing you that's all… he just doesn't deal with his emotions in the best way… remind you of anyone?" Ken raised an eyebrow making it clear that he was talking about Peter.

"I hate the thought of Simon getting so upset over a decision I've made." Carla said, wiping her eyes and swallowing hard as Michelle moved closer to her and put a supportive arm around her.

"I know you do… but I'm afraid this reaction is just something we're all going to have to accept." Ken said delicately, "Simon knows this isn't a decision you've made lightly..."

The bedroom door suddenly opened and a wretched looking Peter appeared in the living room, his eyes were red and he was surprised to see that his flat had pretty much emptied since he'd taken Simon out of the room.

Carla stepped forward when she saw him, leaving Michelle and Ken stood in the kitchen awkwardly. Carla had tears in her eyes as she approached Peter and even though she knew this was a slightly foolish question she couldn't help but ask Peter,

"How is he?"

"Um… he's calmed down a little..." Peter said, putting his hands into his pockets anxiously as he watched Carla wipe her red eyes again.

"Can I go n speak to him then?" Carla asked, Peter bit his lip for a moment and thought about the way he had left Simon.

"He said he just wants some alone time…" Peter replied truthfully, "Practically kicked me out of his bedroom... So I'd wait if I were you."

"Oh…" Carla said quietly. There was a long silence between her and Peter before he took a look a Jada who was still sat on the sofa engrossed in what she was watching on television.

"How about we help you lot tidy up then?" Ken said to break the silence, he looked at Michelle who nodded as enthusiastically as she could.

"No… you don't ave to." Peter said half-heartedly but Michelle and his father had already started picking up empty cups and sorting out left over food.

The atmosphere in the flat was tense as Peter and Carla both decided to help tidy up too, after ten of fifteen minutes had gone by, Simon surfaced from his bedroom and although his eyes were a blood shot red, he smiled as best he could and tried to act as if nothing had happened.

He didn't say much but he started to help tidy up whilst Jada's eye lids had soon started to droop and it was clear that she was getting very tired. Carla picked her daughter up and walked over to Peter with her before saying,

"Do you wanna… put her to bed?"

"Sure." Peter nodded, he reached over to Carla and gently took a sleepy Jada from her arms before taking her off to the bedroom, he left Michelle and Ken finishing tidying up in the kitchen and left Carla free to approach Simon who was stood tidying up the coffee table by the sofa.

"Si…" Carla began, gently touching him on the arm. "Can we talk?" Simon looked at Carla apologetically and then nodded.

The two of them went to sit on the sofa and as they did so, Simon said,

"I'm sorry for making a scene earlier…"

"Don't apologize." Carla said, shaking her head a little. "I guess if anything I should be flattered eh?" She gave Simon a nudge in the side as she smiled at him and then said, "After all… if you'd ave asked me a few years ago if I'd ave you saying you can't imagine life without me I would ave laughed in your face…" Simon let out half a laugh as Carla then said, "I mean you really hated me back then."

"No I didn't…"

"Oh don't gimme that Si…" Carla scoffed, "You so did…"

"Okay… but I was just a stupid little kid back then… I'm older now…" Simon said, biting his lip nervously before saying, "I love you Carla… I don't want to lose you."

"You're not losing me Si." Carla said softly, "I promise you that." She put an arm around Simon and pulled him closer to her. "N I love you too… You're still going to come n visit in your half term right?"

"Yeah course…" Simon said, smiling thinly at the thought of a holiday to L.A… even if it was without his Dad.

"Good." Carla nodded firmly, she held Simon close to her as Ken and Michelle continued to tidy up the flat behind them.

In the bedroom, Peter got Jada undressed from her sparkly party outfit and put her in the only pair of pyjamas that Carla had left out. It pained him to look at the practically full to bursting suitcases and as he laid Jada down onto his bed for the last time, it was all Peter could do to not burst into tears again.

"Do ya want a book Jada?" Peter asked, reaching over to his bedside cabinet and picking up one of the picture books that Carla had left out. He pulled up the new one he'd bought her for her birthday as Jada nodded and said,

"Yes." Peter took a deep breath as he opened the book and got ready for the last time he'd get to read Jada a bedtime story for a very long time.

Jada was asleep by the time he had finished the book and after giving her a tender kiss on the head, Peter got up and walked back into the living room. He saw Carla and Simon hugging and smiled weakly as he walked into the room properly.

Peter decided that he shouldn't say anything as he might spoil the sweet embrace that Simon and Carla were currently having so instead he sighed and began to help tidy up his flat.

As he went around and picked up the empty crisp packets and empty cups... Peter tried his absolute best not to think about the fact that this time tomorrow... Jada and Carla would be gone.


	25. Goodbye

Major apologies for how long it's been since I've updated! I've been so busy during Christmas and New Year! I hope everyone had a fantastic time and I hope you enjoy this new chapter *Insert straight face emoji here* It's a long one and I was going to cut it in half but I thought seeing as it's been so long since I updated I should leave it this length...

* * *

Carla awoke at precisely seven fifteen am on a very cold Saturday morning.

She opened her eyes to the sight of an empty living room. It was still dark outside so she couldn't see much but there was just a little of bit light coming from a street lamp through the window and as Carla sat up, she was horribly reminded of what today was going to entail.

At seven past two this afternoon she and Jada were going to be boarding a flight to Los Angeles.

At seven past two, Carla would be separating Jada from the wonderful family she'd got to know extremely well over the past few months.

At seven past two, Carla was supposed to say farewell to a man that everyone else except for him knew, that she still loved and not just because he was the father of her child.

Saying goodbye to Peter was never ever something that Carla had been good at.

In the beginning, years and years ago when he had insisted they just had to be friends, she couldn't let him go even then and then once they were finally together, the thought of losing him was one that terrified her to no end.

This is why when Jada was just a mere week or so old Carla had ended up upping and leaving without telling him what she was planning.

The last time she'd gone, She packed what little things she and Jada had and then snuck off to the airport without Peter even knowing until just before the flight and by that point it was too late for him to do anything about it.

Carla had always thought it was cruel to leave Peter behind like that, she had always felt incredibly guilty about how she had left Weatherfield but she knew that there really was no other option.

There was no way she could ever have managed to get the actual words out, even when Peter had called her and begged for her to come back, Carla hadn't actually told him _Goodbye_ … she had never actually said the word.

This time had to be different.

This time Carla knew she wouldn't be able to just up and leave… even if she wanted to, she knew that Peter was going to be right by her and Jada's side until that very last moment.

Sometime yesterday morning Peter had made the slightly insane and completely heart-breaking decision to drive Carla and Jada to the airport so he could say goodbye to them before they go through security and ever since he'd decided that, Carla couldn't help but wish he hadn't.

It was a lovely gesture of course, a sweet one, one that Carla knew was going to be highly important to Peter but she also knew that it was going to be heart wrenching to have leave him stood at the airport alone.

Carla had fallen asleep on the sofa sometime last night. She didn't know exactly what time that she had finally dropped off to sleep but she knew that it had hadn't been something she had planned.

After a lot of tidying up, she had settled down on the sofa to try to relax and watch some TV. She hadn't received much sleep the night before of course but due to sheer exhaustion, Carla soon found herself lying down on the sofa and stretching right out. Peter was still in the bedroom putting Jada to sleep and Simon was in the kitchen so she could take up as much space on the sofa as she wanted.

The next thing she knew, Carla had woken up on the sofa in the same position she had been last night… only someone had put a blanket on top of her so that she wouldn't be cold.

As she pulled the light blue blanket off her, Carla couldn't work out whether it was Simon or Peter who had put the blanket on top of her but she was more than touched by the loving gesture as she began tip-toing across the living room.

It was so quiet at twelve A Rosamund street that Carla could almost be mistaken for thinking that she was the only person in there. She bent down and switched on the Christmas tree lights so that she could see a little more and as she began to quietly walk down the hallway, she took a deep breath.

She stopped at Peter's bedroom door and gently eased it open to find, Peter, Simon and Jada fast asleep on the bed. They were all under the covers and Jada was lying in the middle, her head rested on one of Peter's arms.

Tears pricked Carla's eyes as she stood watching Jada lying so peacefully with her Dad and brother, she smiled sadly because she was glad that they had all managed to get to sleep in the end, especially since they had done it together but soon enough, watching the sight of Jada, Peter and Simon was too much for Carla, so she hastily but also quietly left the bedroom before she started to get too overwhelmed.

Carla had so many things that she needed to do this morning, things that she needed to pack… things that she needed to say but right now she couldn't do any of them because she couldn't bare to interrupt the beautiful sight that was in Peter's bedroom.

So she stayed in the living room alone, watching television and reading for as long as she could but eventually she knew that she had to start getting ready… She knew that time was starting to really run out now and that within a matter of hours she and Jada would be miles and miles away.

Carla looked down at the clothes that she was still wearing from last night and knew she had to start sorting herself at least so that once Jada was awake she could concentrate on her, So she very quietly walked back into the bedroom where Jada, Peter and Simon were still asleep.

She walked over to the pile of clothes she had left out last night and picked them up along with the outfit she had left out for Jada, she decided once she was showered she would have to get Jada up but for now she would let her sleep a little bit longer.

"Mornin…" A gruff voice suddenly said although it didn't make Carla jump. She turned around slowly to see Peter was rubbing his eyes and sitting up as best he could without waking up Jada, who had been resting on his arms since last night.

"Mornin." Carla nodded, she gave Peter a nervous smile as he got up and off the bed. He swallowed as he walked towards Carla and although he was absolutely dreading the day ahead, he managed to let out a little smile.

"I… was just thinkin I should hop in the shower…" Carla began, "It's starting to get late n…"

"Yeah… I know..." Peter nodded, looking at a clock on the wall, which showed that it was almost nine o'clock, he rolled his eyes and sighed in a way which made Carla look down at her feet guiltily.

There was suddenly an awkward silence as they both stood opposite each other for a moment. Peter eventually shook his head frustratedly and cleared his throat before he said,

"Today's going to be… a nightmare…" Carla nodded as she looked back up at Peter with her eyes full of tears. She went to say something but Peter shook his head again, he shook it softer this time and then he gently pressed a finger up against Carla's lips so that she couldn't speak and also so that goosebumps appeared all over her arms and neck. "Don't apologise. You don't ave to say anything… I just need you to know that if I'm… a little… off today… it's only because I don't quite know with how to cope with all of this… Okay?"

"Okay…" Carla nodded, still covered in goosebumps due to Peter's touch even though he had already removed his finger from her lips.

He was still stood within touching distance and what Carla really wanted to do to Peter was something that wouldn't be appropriate seeing as she was leaving today and especially seeing as they were in a room with two children in, so instead she just gave Peter another nervous smile and said,

"I better hop in the shower then…" She awkwardly pointed to the direction of the door before leaving the bedroom quickly. She left Peter stood in the same spot and also left him wishing that he was a lot braver than this.

He wished that he had enough strength and will power to promise that he'd never ever mess up again and he wished that he had enough strength to convince Carla to stay but deep down Peter just felt like he couldn't do it.

This is why he didn't follow Carla out of the bedroom, instead he waited a few moments and walked into the kitchen to set about making some breakfast.

As Peter prepared the eggs, bacon, beans, toast and sausages, he tried not to keep looking at the time on the clock. He knew that every single moment he wasn't with Carla, Jada and Simon was time being wasted but he also knew there was nothing he could about it.

Eventually Carla came back into the kitchen half an hour later with damp hair and in a brand new outfit. She was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans, a black fitted jumper with a high neck and was clutching last night's outfit in her hands.

She took a quick look around the living room before walking into the kitchen and saying,

"Jada still asleep then?"

"I think so…" Peter replied, nodding with a knife in his hand as he buttered toast. He was almost done with breakfast as he stood only a few feet away from Carla and smiled at her as she began folding the clothes she had been wearing last night. "She's probably exhausted from the party last night. It was a right mission to get her to sleep, that's why I was in the bedroom so long, I'm sure she had a last minute sugar rush from all the fairy cakes she ate… anyways after four stories she eventually dropped off and when I came back out you were asleep too."

"Was… it you who put the blanket on me then?" Carla asked quietly, smiling back at Peter even though her heart had began racing at the thought of this being their last morning together.

"It might ave been..." Peter smirked, actually forgetting what today had in store as Carla smiled at him so fondly.

"Well if ya did… thank you, it were really sweet." Carla replied, she sighed lightly and took another look at the clock, which now read that it was twenty to ten. "I'm gonna ave to go n wake her up aren't I?" She watched Peter closely who had already turned back around and started to butter toast again. "Unless… you want to of course?" Peter turned back to face Carla and for a moment he thought about saying yes but then he knew he wouldn't be able to face waking Jada up without bursting into tears so he shook his head and said,

"Nah I don't fancy being the one to interrupt Jada's sleep…" He was grinning at first as if he was going to make a joke about it. "I'll let you do it… " He gave Carla a look, which explained exactly how he was feeling, she nodded at him before she picked up her folded clothes from last night and headed back towards the bedroom.

Luckily for Carla, Jada was already awake. Unluckily for Simon however she had found a pen on Peter's bedside cabinet and she was comically drawing on his face and giggling.

"Jada!" Carla hissed, running over to the bed and pulling the pen from an amused Jada's fingers.

"Shhh Mummy." Jada giggled as Carla chucked the pen back on the bedside cabinet.

"Jada that was very naughty." She said, giving her daughter a stern look before sitting down on the bed next to her. She then looked at Simon who was still asleep only now he had black pen marks on his forehead and going up and down one side of his face.

"I decorating Simon." Jada said proudly, climbing onto Carla's lap obviously feeling accomplished.

"Simon doesn't need decorating, he's not a Christmas tree…" Carla laughed, shaking her head and wondering whether she should wake him up as well. "Jada…" Carla then began, she looked down at her daughter and bit her lip before asking her, "D'ya remember where we're going today?" Jada thought for a moment but she soon shook her head. "We're going back to California… to see Susie for Christmas."

"Auntie Susie…" Jada nodded, smiling at the thought of seeing her.

"Yes." Carla nodded, smiling back at Jada who looked genuinely happy to hear they were going on a trip. Of course little Jada didn't have a clue what going to California actually meant so she kept on smiling.

"Carla!" Peter called from the kitchen, "Wake up Si as well will ya?"

"Daddy." Jada beamed at the sound of his voice.

"Go on… Daddy's made breakfast…" Carla said, looking at Simon and grinning at the pen strokes that were on his face.

Jada climbed off her Mum's lap and ran happily towards the bedroom door, she ran down the hallway and into the kitchen to find her Dad placing streaky bacon on some plates that already had eggs, sausages and beans on.

"Good Morning Jada." Peter grinned, as Jada walks towards the breakfast table.

"Morning." Jada replied, clambering up onto one of the chairs as Peter finished up serving the breakfast. He leant forward and kissed his little girl on the head lovingly, trying his absolute best to not think about how this would be the last time they'd get to have breakfast together.

"What do you want to drink Princess?" Peter asked as Carla appeared in the kitchen.

"Juicey." Jada said, already reaching towards her plate for a sausage. "Mumma where Simon?"

"He's coming…" Carla said, sitting down next to Jada with a grin on her face and as Peter looked at her, he couldn't help but grin back. "He's just gone to the bathroom."

"What?" Peter said coming back to the table with a bottle of apple juice from the fridge, knowing Carla must be finding something funny. He didn't have to wait too long to find out what was funny though.

"Hey!" came Simon's voice from the bathroom, Carla looked even more amused as he came running into the kitchen with an eyebrow raised. It took Peter a few moments to realise that Simon was stood in front of them all with black ink all over his face but when he did realise, his lips broke in to an even bigger grin than before. "Who drew on my face?" Simon asked, looking between his Dad and Carla who were both trying hard not to laugh.

"Jada!" Jada giggled, actually raising her arm in the air as if she was really proud of the artwork she had left on Simon's face.

"Jada…" Peter laughed as Simon shook his head at his little sister but he wasn't at all mad anymore and instead he ran over to tickle her.

"Thanks for that sis." Simon cried as Jada squealed out loud. She tried to resist her brother's tickles but she was unsuccessful and had to endure a few more moments of it before Simon picked her up and gave her a loving cuddle instead.

"I walked into the bedroom and found her scribbling all over your face…" Carla said as Simon sat down on the chair next to where Jada had been sat. "I did tell her it was naughty but I just couldn't help but letting you find out what she did for ya self."

"I clean it…" Jada nodded and before anyone could stop her she slid off Simon's lap and ran towards the coffee table where there was normally a packet of wet wipes. "Mummy…" Jada said, turning around with her hands in the air like she had lost something.

"Oh…" Carla said, getting up instantly because she had taken the packet of wipes that were normally left in the living room and put them into Jada's backpack ready for the flight later. "They're in ere…" Carla said as she walked towards the bedroom where she'd left all the luggage she and Jada were going to be taking with them.

As Jada was already up she ran after her Mum and left Simon and Peter alone. Simon smiled at his Dad bravely before he asked him,

"Are you okay Dad?"

"As okay as I can be…" Peter replied, smiling back at Simon as best he could before returning the question and saying, "You alright Si?"

"Yeah…" Simon sighed, he nodded but he knew that him and his Dad were not okay… at all. They sat in silence until Carla and Jada returned, Jada had the packet of wipes in hand and climbed back onto Simon's lap so she could start cleaning his face.

When she was done removing the black pen marks off her brother's face, Jada then moved towards Peter with the wipes and began wiping his face too.

For a while, they all managed to forget what was going to be happening this afternoon and have some general chit chat but it was clear that the thought of what was coming next was still lingering in the backs of Carla, Peter and Simon's minds as they couldn't stomach much breakfast. They left their plates half full but Jada had practically cleared hers and even went after some of her brother's toast too.

After breakfast, it was time for Jada to get washed and dressed. Carla offered Peter the opportunity to do so and at first he was going to say no because he thought it would be too hard, but then he realised he would regret this decision this time tomorrow so he took Jada by the hand and went into the bathroom with her, leaving Carla and Simon alone in the kitchen.

"Are you finished?" Carla said to Simon who was sat opposite her, Simon nodded as she got up off the chair and took his plate, which still had a slice of toast and most of his bacon on it. She took all the plates over to the sink and put them inside it as Simon brought over the mugs they had been using.

They began to clean up the kitchen companionably and even managed a few smiles as they did so, especially when Peter and Jada eventually returned from the bathroom but when Jada insisted on getting herself dressed all on her own and was comically putting on her top back to front, Peter, Carla and Simon found it hard to keep on smiling.

They were all thinking the very same thing… that soon this would all be over.

* * *

As Peter pulled Carla's hefty suitcases out of his front door and over to his car which he had parked right outside, he tried really hard not to cry... just because he was now on his own for a moment he knew he couldn't let it all go now.

Despite how oddly pleasant it had been during the first part of the morning, The last hour or so had gone dreadfully. Carla eventually had to intervene when Jada was getting dressed because she just couldn't seem to get her blue jeans on properly and when her Mum sat down in front of her and took hold of the pair of little jeans, Jada started shouting and yelling that she was a big girl and that she could do it herself.

Peter and Simon watched because they didn't want to get involved and also because they wanted to cherish whatever moments they had left with Carla and Jada… even if those moments were full of Jada's loud shrieks.

After Jada had finally got dressed, Carla then went around the flat and gathered up all the rest of their things, she quietly did so not wanting to draw much attention to herself but Peter and Simon couldn't bring them selves to say anything either so there was almost a whole fort-five minutes of silence before Peter said he would go and get his car.

It was almost eleven at this point and with all of Carla and Jada's belongings packed, Peter knew it was time for them to head to the airport, he also knew that Michelle and his family would arrive to say goodbye any minute and once they did… it would be the beginning of the end.

As he put Carla's large black suitcases into the boot of his car, Michelle was the first to arrive. She already had red eyes from crying as she walked towards Peter's flat and as he closed the boot of his car, she cleared her throat and said,

"Hi Peter…"

"Hi." Peter said, sighing a little as he leant on his car. He was already wearing his black coat and went into his pocket to pull out a packet of cigarettes as Michelle looked sympathetic and delicately asked,

"You alright?" Peter rose an eyebrow at Michelle who shook her head and then said, "I know that's a really stupid question…"

"It's okay…" Peter replied as he put a cigarette in his mouth, he looked utterly broken already and Carla hadn't even left yet. Michelle cursed herself as she went over what she had just said and then she went over what she had just seen Peter do and then said, "Hang on… is this your car?"

"Yes." Peter said nodding with a sigh, he knew what Michelle was thinking and this was confirmed when she frowned and said,

"You're driving them to the airport…"

"Yep." Peter nodded again, "And yes I know it's going to be hard… mind numbingly hard but I ave to be there… I ave to be there until I can't be there anymore…" Michelle nodded at Peter understandingly and moved closer to him as he exhaled cigarette smoke.

"Is Simon going?" She asked but Peter shook his head and said,

"No… I asked but he said he thought it was going to be too hard… I get it..."

"Oh okay…" Michelle said softly, "Well do you want me or... maybe Steve to come with you? I mean at least then you won't have to come home on your own y'know."

"Oh…" Peter replied after taking another drag of his cigarette, he thought about having Michelle or Steve come with him and Carla to the airport but he shook his head in the end because he wasn't exactly sure how he might react when they got there so he said, "Thanks for the offer but I'd rather it just be us… no offense."

"None taken…" Michelle said with a nod, just as Simon came out of the flat next carrying Jada's Minnie Mouse suitcase and her brand new Frozen one too.

"This is it…" He said as he brought over the two little suitcases to his Dad's car. "Carla's just got her bag and Jada's left… She's coming down in a minute…"

"Okay…" Peter said, standing upright as he opened the boot once again so they could put the other two suitcases inside. As he heaved Jada's suitcases into the car, Simon shook his head and said,

"I can't believe this is actually happening…" Michelle leant forward and gave Simon's back an appreciative touch as he sighed and said, "I can't believe they are going… call me naive but I've still been hoping Carla would change her mind."

"Me too." Michelle said caringly, she and Simon looked at Peter who didn't say anything and just continued to smoke.

Michelle could hardly bare to look at him or Simon as she waited outside number twelve in the cold, she could have gone inside of course to see Carla but she had guessed that maybe Carla wanted some time alone in the flat… and she was right.

"Come on Jada…" Carla said picking up the little leather jacket she had purchased for Jada when they had first arrived in Weatherfield. "We ave to go." Jada had been sat on the sofa with Simba and her Mermaid doll either side of her watching telly whilst her brother and parents were in a state of emotional turmoil but as Carla switched off the TV, Jada looked up and said,

"We going now?"

"Yes… come n get your coat on." Carla said, she was smiling brightly at Jada but also falsely as she walked towards her with her coat in hand. Jada got off the sofa and walked towards her Mum and once she had her coat on, Carla picked her up and said, "Right…" She breathed in sharply because she wanted to cry and looked around at the place they had been staying for the past few weeks as she said, "Say goodbye to Daddy's flat Jada…"

"Bye bye." Jada said waving, she didn't really understand what was happening especially when she looked at Carla and said, "Back soon?"

"Yeah…" Carla nodded although she wasn't sure they'd be back soon. "One day…" She added as she took another lingering look around the living room, which now looked so odd because it didn't have any of their stuff lying around, the Christmas Tree lights were still flickering on and off and Carla didn't even want to think about the thought of spending Christmas without any of the Barlow family near by.

This flat… This home… it held so many beautiful memories for Carla and whilst there were also so many bad ones, she knew the good ones were going to be the ones that she would really remember and right now, Carla honestly couldn't believe that she really was about to say goodbye to it.

"This is our real home Jada… we must never forget that okay?" At first it pained Carla to know that Jada probably wouldn't remember any of this in a years time but then she soon began to get jealous of her little two year old because whilst the past three weeks were going to be soon forgotten by Jada… Carla knew she'd never get over them.

"Kay." Jada nodded, she waved again as she sat in her Mum's arms but before it all started to get that little bit too much for Carla, She quickly sniffed hard before putting Jada down on the ground and said,

"Go n get Simba n Ariel so we can go…" Jada went to get her toys whilst Carla picked up their bags, she didn't want to spend too much longer in the flat contemplating on what could have been so she very quickly made sure she had everything and took Jada by the hand.

Carla took one last and painful look at the flat before opening the front door and taking Jada with her downstairs. They walked out of the building to see that it wasn't just Michelle with Simon and Peter anymore… Ken, Tracy, Amy, Steve and Roy were all stood waiting for them and as Jada ran towards them all excitedly, Carla felt a lump form in the back of her throat.

"Mornin…" She said hoarsely, walking towards Peter's car, which was now full of their stuff. He didn't say anything to her but he gently took her and Jada's bags from her hands and put them into the back seat of his car.

There was a highly awkward silence for a moment, which Carla tried to diffuse by saying,

"It's dead cold init…" but when Michelle responded with a dejected,

"At least you'll be in the sunshine soon…" everyone became silent again. Carla turned to look at Peter who had both hands in his pocket and looked as if he might cry at any given moment and then turned to everyone who had come to say goodbye to her and said,

"Thanks so much for coming ere you lot…" She sniffed as she then walked forwards to start saying proper goodbyes to people, the first person she approached Roy whilst Ken bent down and picked up his Granddaughter.

"Bye bye Jada…" He said sadly and the look he had on his face when he spoke was one that Peter hadn't seen since his Dad had lost his beloved wife Deirdre, Peter bit his lip hard so he didn't start crying in front of everyone but as Jada put her arms around her Granddad's neck, he knew it wouldn't be long before he was going to bawling like a baby.

"Bye Granddad." Jada said as Carla hugged Roy tightly and said,

"Thank you for all your useful advice over the past few weeks Roy, I couldn't have done this without it."

"You are welcome... I shall miss you lots..." Roy said, sniffing stiffly and pointing at Jada as he said, "That little girl is very lucky to have you as a Mother..." Carla smiled as Roy paused and then he added, "Hayley would have been so proud of how far you've come…"

"Oh…" Carla said and before she knew it, tears were streaming down her face at the mention of her old best friend Hayley. She threw her arms around Roy whilst Ken said to Jada,

"You make sure you look after your Mummy okay?" He had seen how upset Carla was already and knew that all the joy she'd get over the next few days and weeks would be from her daughter. Jada giggled at Ken's comment and nodded as he gave her a kiss and then turned towards Tracy who said,

"Go on then Dad, hand her over…" Ken nodded and handed Jada over to Tracy who had kept it a well-hidden secret how attached she had become to her niece. She gave her a kiss on the cheek and laughed as she said, "Good bye Mini Peter… I'll miss you n your funny little ways."

"Bye bye Auntie Tracy." Jada laughed, Carla let go of Roy at this precise moment and saw Tracy holding Jada so lovingly that she couldn't help but well up again.

Peter and Simon were both stood by the car with their arms folded and for them it was like they were stuck in a nightmare that they just couldn't seem to wake up from. Watching Carla and Jada say goodbye to their friends and family was more difficult then they had ever imagined and Simon was beginning to absolutely dread when it came to his turn to say goodbye.

Michelle was also stood watching and after Tracy and Amy said their goodbyes to Jada, she decided she'd try and get some of it over with whilst Carla approached Ken.

"Ken…" Carla began, shaking her head and trying to keep composed as she spoke. "Thank you for everything."

"Me?" Ken exclaimed, "What on earth for?"

"For being so understanding…" Carla said nodding, "There ave been so many times that your wise words ave helped me and Jada… and Peter too… I am so glad you and Jada ave had the time to get to know each other so well…" Carla took a deep breath as a tear ran down her cheek and she was almost unable to finish her sentence but eventually she got it out and said, "I'm just sorry I'm taking her away from you again."

"Don't you dare apologise." Ken said firmly, "You are doing what you think is best, I honestly think you are the bravest person I know… and you know what else, I think you are a fantastic mother... Jada is lucky to have you."

"Thank you." Carla nodded and with that she put her arms around Ken. Michelle had scooped Jada up and was in the middle of her goodbyes to her as Peter leant towards Simon and said,

"You still don't ave to do this ere in front of everyone… you can always come to the airport and say your goodbyes there." Simon looked at Carla who was in his Granddad's arms in tears and then looked at his sister who was laughing at something Michelle had said and then he shook his head and said,

"I can't… I can't come to the airport… I'm sorry Dad… this is torture enough." Simon spoke very quickly, as if he might burst into tears but Peter very quickly shook his own head and said,

"It's okay… I understand, I just wanted you to know that you had the option." He then went to look back at his Dad and Carla who were just letting go from their hug. Carla saw that Peter was watching them both and then turned back to Ken who was now joined by Tracy and said a tearful,

"Look after em both…" She turned back to look once more and saw that Peter now had his arm around Simon.

"We will." Tracy nodded and surprising every single person stood outside Peter's flat, she then threw her arms around Carla.

"Now there's a sight I never thought I'd see…" Steve said with a raised eyebrow, Michelle nudged him and shook her head because she really didn't think that now was the time for jokes. She had put Jada down now and Roy who wanted to say goodbye was now approaching her slowly.

"Come ere…" Michelle heard a voice say and when she turned around she saw Carla standing in front of her with tears in her eyes.

"Ohh…" Michelle cried, "I really don't want to do this… I don't wanna say goodbye to you again…" Carla pulled her best friend towards her and shook her head as she said,

"This isn't goodbye Chelle… this is see you soon…"

"But I won't will I?" Michelle asked, "I'm not gonna be able to just pop across the road n see ya will I?"

"No." Carla sighed, she gave Michelle a proper hug who nodded and said,

"I know you ave to do this babe… I really do and I understand completely… I'm just gonna miss you n Jada like mad."

"We're gonna miss you too Chelle." Carla said nodding too, tears pouring from her already red eyes. "But we'll talk every day okay?"

"Yeah…" Michelle sniffed, "It's not enough but okay." She and Carla half let go off each other and as they did so Carla quietly said,

"Keep an eye on them won't ya…" Michelle knew exactly who them was and nodded at Carla whose eyes were still full of tears. "I know Ken n Tracy will n I've also asked Roy to maybe check in from time to time, I just… I want Peter n Simon to ave as many people around em as possible." Carla watched as Michelle's face practically crumpled before her eyes and said, "What?"

"N just how many people are you gonna ave around you eh?" Michelle asked because she knew life in Los Angeles could be very lonely for Carla at times.

"I'm gonna be alright… I've got Jada… N Susie…" Michelle didn't look too convinced so Carla hugged her again and said, "I promise Chelle." After another long and lingering hug with Michelle, Carla went to say goodbye to Steve and she also asked him to keep an eye on Peter too, which of course, Steve said yes.

Peter had no idea that even in a moment that was supposed to be all about her, Carla was trying to make sure that he was going to be okay and was looking down at his watch because he knew that they really had to leave now.

"I hate to do this but… we better get going…" He said and his words suddenly made everyone tense up… well everyone except for Jada who was relishing all of the attention she had on her right now. She was holding hands with Amy but then a slightly distressed Simon came over to her, knowing that it was time for him to say goodbye.

Carla and Peter both stared, almost in horror as Simon bent down in front of Jada and said,

"Can I have a hug?" Jada laughed and threw her arms around Simon in such an adorable way that made both of her parents struggle to stand upright.

Everyone watched and Simon hugged Jada tight and as all of the adults around him were almost in tears, Simon took a deep breath and said,

"I'm gonna miss you very much Jada but I'll still see you everyday okay." Jada nodded at her brother as he then said, "On Mummy's phone…"

"Or on iPad." Jada nodded firmly, she looked back at Carla and Peter who both turned away so that she couldn't see them both in tears and then as she turned back to Simon she said, "You see Simba too and Ariel."

"Definitely." Simon chuckled, knowing that he'd be having lots more in depth conversations with Jada's toys as soon as she was back in California. "And I'm gonna come n see you n Mummy in California soon so we can do lots of puzzles and reading."

"And colouring!" Jada excitedly said, Simon nodded at Jada again but a tear ran down his cheek and before he could wipe it away, Jada spotted it and said, "Simon sad?"

"No… I'm just cold that's all…" Simon lied and he stood up before picking Jada up and giving her a loving kiss on the cheek. "Come on let's take you to Mummy n Daddy eh?"

Simon approached his Dad and Carla with Jada in his arms and even though they both had blotchy faces and red eyes they were both smiling as if they were trying to pretend that nothing was wrong. Simon squeezed Jada one last time and said,

"I love you so much Jada."

"Love you Simon." Jada said, wrapping her arms around Simon's neck tightly. He kissed her again before giving Jada to his Dad and as Peter took Jada, Simon looked at Carla lovingly and said,

"I love you n all."

"Come ere…" Carla said and once again she was crying. Michelle was stood in Steve's arms whilst Roy stood on his own, clutching his shopping bag tightly and whilst Ken, Tracy and Amy were all holding hands.

"I'm sorry about not coming to the airport…" Simon began but Carla shook her head and said,

"Don't even worry about it, I understand n I love you too… so much. You're the best big brother Jada could ever ask for…" Simon just nodded as if he didn't believe what Carla was saying and as he pulled away from her she just had to add, "I mean it… I truly do."

Carla went around and very quickly gave everyone another hug before taking Jada off Peter and waving as she said,

"We'll come n visit… I promise." Carla was especially looking at Simon as she spoke and as she and Jada climbed in the back of Peter's car, he lost control of his own tears and was almost inconsolable.

"Come on…" Ken said, taking Simon gently and putting his arms around him. Jada began waving wildly out of the car window whilst Peter very quickly got into the driver's seat of the car.

He knew he had to stay calm if he wanted to drive Carla and Jada to the airport safely and as he started the ignition, Tracy shook her head and said,

"How on earth he gonna get through this…"

"We're going to be here for him when he gets back…" Ken said as they all started waving at Carla and Jada who were waving out the back window of the car. They all stood on the cold street until the car left their sight and for a moment, they lingered about for a moment, not exactly what to do next.

"How about everyone comes to the café for a coffee?" Roy awkwardly suggested, "On the house of course."

Everyone stood on the street of course including Roy knew that a coffee wasn't going to solve anything or heal the pain of Carla leaving but they all said yes an headed towards the café because they had a lot of hours to kill before Peter would come back.

* * *

By the time Peter had driven to the airport and parked his car in the car park, it was almost twelve thirty pm. There was so much traffic on the way to the airport that the journey had taken a lot longer than anticipated and as he, Carla and Jada climbed out of his car, Peter wasn't sure whether to be saddened or pleased that it had taken this long to arrive.

On one hand it was good that it had taken so long for them to get to the airport because it meant that there wouldn't be so much time to hang around but on the other hand Peter knew that all the time he was driving was time wasted.

The long journey wasn't all bad though, Peter still had a Disney CD of Jada's in his Car stereo and had put it on so Jada could sing along to all her favourite hits… which she did hilariously.

"Ere…" Carla said, handing Jada to Peter as they walked into the terminal. "I'll go n check us in…" Peter nodded as Carla pulled all the suitcases over to check in which was rather a hard job because there were four of them and whilst Carla got into the check in queue, he looked at Jada and said,

"I'm gonna miss you so much Jada…" He knew that Jada must have heard this a hundred times today so he wasn't expecting too much of a response but she put her head on one side and responded with,

"I miss you Daddy… lots and lots!" She had both hands in the air as she spoke to show her Dad just how much she was going to miss him and all Peter could do was kiss her on the head and tell her how much he loved her… not only her and her but her Mum too. He looked over at Carla who was still in the queue and he decided that now would be a really good time to say goodbye.

He decided that it might be easier on both him and Carla he said goodbye to Jada alone, so he took her over to a waiting area with some seats and place her on one. She was clutching Simba of course and had Ariel the mermaid poking out of the top of her backpack, which Peter placed on the floor next to her seat and as he bent down in front of her, Jada smiled and said down to Simba,

"Simba we goin on big airplane soon."

"Yes you are…" Peter said nodding, as he looked at his little girl in awe still unable to believe he had the chance for these few precious weeks with her and still unable to believe how incredible she was.

"Are you coming too Daddy?" Jada asked because seeing as Peter was at the airport too it made perfect sense to her that he would be coming.

"No I'm not darlin…" Peter said shaking his head slowly, "I ave to stay ere remember." Jada nodded but for the first time today Peter saw a hint of what looked like an upset look on his daughter's face. "I'm sorry I can't come… but I know you're going to be in good hands with Mummy…" Peter turned to look at Carla who was still in the check in queue and turned back to Jada before saying, "She's going to look after you and you need to look after her okay…" Jada nodded at Peter and lifted up Simba as she said,

"And Simba too."

"Simba too…" Peter nodded, smiling because he was glad his daughter didn't understand much of the situation and because at least she wasn't in pain. "We're gonna say goodbye in a little while but I want you to never forget that I love you… and your Mummy… lots and lots…" Jada nodded again at Peter and as he lent in for a kiss, she said,

"Love you Daddy." Peter put his arms around Jada and pulled her close for a hug and then he got up and sat next to her in the waiting area. Carla eventually returned and found Jada and Peter sat on the seats. She smiled at them and looked down at her watch to see that it was now half past twelve, the smile faded off her face as she realised that she, Jada would probably have to go through security soon.

They went for a quick coffee but sure enough time went ridiculously fast and Carla and Peter had to approach the security entrance.

Time really had run out now.

"I guess this is it…" Carla said, looking at Peter with tears in her eyes. He was holding Jada in his arms and nodded before he looked at Jada and said,

"We're going to say goodbye now Jada…" He then looked at Carla, "I spoke to her about it a little bit earlier…"

"Okay…" Carla nodded, she sniffed and then took a deep breath as Peter kissed Jada on the head lovingly and said,

"Bye Bye Princess… I love you to the moon and back."

"Bye Daddy." Jada said, she kissed Peter back twice and waved before he handed her to Carla who had tears in her eyes again.

"Peter…" Carla said, breathing rigidly, "Thank you so much… for everything… I never dreamed this would have gone the way it did…" Jada looked between her heartbroken parents and had started to notice that something was wrong she frowned and said,

"Mummy what wrong?"

"Nothing…" Carla said she watched Peter who looked like an utter mess and then went to hug him. Peter put his arms around Carla and Jada and as he looked at the security entrance that was just before them he knew that this was it.

A million different things were running through his mind as he, Carla and Jada embraced, when they eventually let go he took a deep breath. Carla turned to look at the security area that only people with boarding passes could go through and with Jada in her arms she bit her lip.

As hard as she had found it in the past... Carla finally said it,

"Goodbye Peter…"

She waited patiently for his response but for a while Peter didn't say a word.

He was too chocked up too heartbroken to speak but he also knew that he couldn't just let them leave like this… he couldn't not fight.

So even though he knew it was far too late and that it was so typical of him to wait until now but he blurted out,

"Don't go…"

"What?" Carla breathed, shaking her head. Peter took a deep breath and decided he had nothing else to loose so he might as well just come out with it... all.

His breathing was unsteady as he stepped forwards and said,

"Carla… just hear me out okay? The past few weeks you have been back… well they ave been the best ones of me life… I can't live without you and Jada I really really can't…" Peter had tears streaming down his face and Jada looked at him in astonishment because she'd never seen her Daddy cry before. "This is stupid… I'm stupid but how can you do this to Jada? How can you do this to your self?"

"Peter don't…" Carla began but he shook his head and interrupted her,

"I love you…" He cried loudly which made several people around them look their way. "And look… I know it's probably mad to think so but… I think you love me too… so please… please don't go." Peter said, looking at Carla pleadingly and as if this was the most important thing he ever had to say.

"Peter… I… ave to go… I've booked flights I took a job..." Carla began but once again an almost frantic Peter interrupted her.

"Look I know you're probably confused because I pushed you away that night of Jada's birthday…" Peter said, knowing he should have said all of this much much sooner but also knowing there was nothing that he could do about that now. "Carla I only did that because I thought it was best… I heard you were leaving n I was gutted… It definitely wasn't because I didn't want you… no way on earth was it because I didn't want you, as I said I really really love you."

"N why the hell are you telling me this now eh?" Carla cried, not wanting to shout because she had Jada in her arms but finding it hard not too. "I'm about to board a plane for god sake."

"I know… I know the timing is ridiculous but I couldn't let you go without telling you this." Peter said apologetically. "Can you just please think of stayin… please."

"Peter…" Carla said, exasperatedly, "Things were... okay… more than okay at times but who knows what is going to happen with us in the future… I can't go through another break up with you Peter n I can't put Jada through it either, she's older now… she'll start to understand all of this soon..." She looked at Jada who put her thumb in her mouth and looked slightly worried to be in the middle of this exchange between her parents.

"Who says we ave to break up? Who says this can't be forever?" Peter asked, looking at Carla heart wrenchingly. She had tears run down her cheeks as she shook her head and said,

"Peter… this is me n you we're talking about ere… I really hate to say it but one of us is bound to mess up soon."

"Okay fine, I get that…" Peter nodded, knowing that he was starting to sound desperate now, "But who says we even ave to get back together… I mean we've had such a great time being mates… we can carry on that way n then you can still stay ere."

"Peter we're not mates… we can never be just mates." Carla said sorrowfully.

"Yes, Yes we can Carla." Peter nodded determinedly, not caring that almost everyone who walked past them were looking and listening to their conversation.

"Peter I'm sorry but I remember what it was like for me to _just_ be your friend n I'm sorry I can't do that again... It's too hard." Carla said, shaking her head again.

"Okay…" Peter nodded, "It's just... Carla I will do anything to stop you and Jada leaving. If you don't wanna be with me then I get it, in fact I really wouldn't blame ya… It wouldn't be sensible to give me another chance, I'm a failure I know but I just… I can't stand ere let you leave."

"Peter, it's not that I don't want to be with you…" Carla replied, as Jada removed her thumb from her mouth and began nervously fiddling with one of Simba's ears. "Far far from it and You're not a failure... it's just… I'm still petrified when I think about a future with you." A security guard who had been watching from afar soon approached Carla and leant in and asked her,

"Excuse me, is this man bothering you?"

"No I'm not bothering her!" Peter snapped, not giving Carla a chance to answer the security guard who was just trying to make sure that everything was okay.

"Mam?" The guard asked, looking at Carla instead of Peter for an answer.

"No, no he's not." Carla said with a deep breath. The security guard nodded and walked away but only slightly as Carla looked back Peter and said, "Peter… I really appreciate everything that you've said… n had you said it before now… maybe… things could be different… I've got responsibilities in L.A that I just can't ignore..."

"No Carla…" Peter said shaking his head because he knew Carla's mind still hadn't been changed. "Please don't…" Carla took a step backwards with Jada in her arms and had tears running down her cheeks as she said,

"I promise we'll come back n visit… I really really do…"

"No!" Peter cried, moving forwards and gently taking hold of Carla's arm.

"Peter… let us go… please." Carla said, pulling her arm away as the security guard in the distance made sure he kept an eye on the situation. Peter knew if he carried on he'd probably end up getting removed from the airport so he stepped backwards from Carla slightly.

"How?" He sobbed shaking his head, "How on earth am I supposed to let you two go?" Carla didn't answer him and just looked at Jada before she waved at him. "Carla don't…"

"Jada say goodbye to Daddy cause we ave to go." Carla sniffed. Jada waved goodbye to Peter who felt utterly powerless as Carla began moving backwards towards the barriers, which led to the security entrance.

"Carla please don't..." Peter begged again, looking wretched as Carla sniffed hard and held onto Jada tight. "Don't do this again."

"Mummy..." Jada said quietly.

"Jada say goodbye to Daddy or we will be late." Carla said trying to look and sound firm but failing to do so.

"Bye Daddy." Jada said, looking perplexed and also worried about her parents.

Peter knew that there wasn't anything else he could do but wave back at Jada and as he did so, Carla was sure that she felt her heart actually break into pieces.

There was a part of her that really wanted to change direction and ran back towards Peter but Carla knew that she had listen to her head instead of her heart so she got her and Jada's boarding passes ready and walked towards those glass doors that led through to security.

There was one... excruciatingly painful look back towards at Peter who looked completely destroyed before Carla made the decision to go through those doors and not return.


	26. Hope

You could cut the atmosphere at number Twelve Rosamund street with a knife.

The Barlow family plus Michelle and Steve all decided to go back to Peter's flat and wait for him after they'd had that much needed coffee at Roy's Rolls.

As soon as they had entered the flat, Simon headed straight towards his bedroom and slammed the door shut. At first, Ken or Michelle had thought about following him in there to check that he was okay but Steve had said something about Simon maybe wanting to be alone for a while and Ken and Michelle thought that Steve was probably right.

So they left Simon be.

They all sat down in the living room they had only been sat in last night for Carla and Jada's leaving party and already the flat seemed so different without their presence.

Jada's toys were no longer scattered around the living room, there were no rogue puzzle pieces and bits of Dulplo, no loose crayons and no sign of any of Jada's endless amount of picture books.

The coat hooks by the front door no longer had her little black suede jacket hanging from it, Carla's jacket was missing too and as for the place where they would leave their shoes, that was almost empty too.

"Does anyone want another cup of coffee?" Michelle asked, mainly just so she'd have something to do because the silence that was in the room right now was unbearable.

"Yeah… I'll ave one." Tracy sighed. She was sitting on the sofa with her Dad and Amy whilst Steve and Michelle had been sat on the armchair nearby.

"Ken?" Michelle asked as she stood up and walked towards the kitchen. Last night the kitchen counter had been full of food and drink and now it looked extremely bare with only a loaf of bread on the side and a packet of biscuits.

"I'm alright thank you Michelle." Ken replied although it was clear to everyone in the room that Ken was definitely not all right.

He was extremely worried about Peter and had spent the past hour hoping and praying that his son would come straight home after saying goodbye to Jada and Carla.

Ken wasn't the only person worried about Peter not returning home, in fact that subject of Peter not coming straight home after his airport run was like an elephant in the room.

Tracy, Michelle, Steve and even Amy all had visions of Peter stopping off at a random pub or bar on his way home and even though he had done so well since his last alcohol relapse, it was clear to all of them that losing the love of his life and one of his children could really be the issue that made Peter go back to the demon drink.

Peter's other child didn't let himself think that far for too long.

He was shut in his room, face buried in his pillow with some loud music playing in an attempt to try and block out what had truly been one of the worst days of his life.

He was scared about the future too of course, scared about his Dad maybe returning to alcohol but he tried his very best not to think about what might happen now that his Step Mother and little sister were probably on a flight back to California.

Back in the living room, Michelle had brought over the hot drinks that she had made and as she placed them on the coffee table, Tracy quietly asked,

"What time was Carla's flight leaving again?"

"Seven past two." Ken replied as Michelle took her own coffee over to the chair she had been sharing with Steve.

Simultaneously, everyone in the room looked over at the silver clock, which hung on the wall above the Christmas tree.

It was just gone one pm and everyone knew that Carla had to have gone through security by now, they knew that she and Peter must have said their goodbyes and that in a perfect world Peter would be on his way home now… Well, actually in a perfect world, Peter would be on his way with Carla and Jada in tow but of course the world isn't perfect.

"I hope she hasn't gone through with it…" Amy said softly, she was looking down at her hands, which she had placed awkwardly in her lap and it had only dawned on her today how much she would miss her Auntie Carla and her adorable little cousin Jada. "I really hope she's changed her mind."

"Me too Amy… Me too." Ken said as Tracy picked up the cup of coffee that Michelle had just made her. "But I don't think we should get our hopes up…" Ken added, knowing how hard it must have been for Carla to make the decision to leave but also knowing how hard the decision to stay would have been for her too.

"Well… if anyone could change Carla's mind it would be Peter..." Steve began, "I mean I know they've had their ups and downs but deep down I think we all know that the daft pair are meant to be... They're just both too stubborn to realise it."

"They sure are." Michelle said, sipping her own coffee and then sighing. She thought about what Steve had just said and she knew that her husband was right, if there was only one person could change Carla's mind about leaving Manchester it would have Peter. "Carla loves Peter now more than ever... I could tell."

"Maybe she will come back then." Amy said, looking up at her family brightly, "Maybe Uncle Peter really will change her mind n they'll come through that door together soon."

"Amy…" Ken said delicately, "As lovely as that would be... As I said I really don't think we should get our hopes up… just in case."

"Why not?" Amy asked innocently, "You're always saying to think positively Granddad so why can't think positively about this?" Ken couldn't quite answer his Granddaughter just then because she looked so hopeful even he took a moment to imagine Peter bursting through the door with Carla and Jada with him.

He imagined what it would be like to have Carla and Jada with them for Christmas... for New Year and for the foreseeable future... The thought was more than lovely... it was sublime.

"Amy might have a point…" Tracy said as she placed her coffee mug down onto the table in front of her. "I mean maybe this trip to the airport is the kick up the backside that Peter and Carla need."

"Maybe…" Ken eventually said quietly and then he turned his head to look in the direction of Simon's bedroom. Ken wondered if Simon was maybe sat on his bed feeling as hopeful as Amy just was.

Secretly, Ken hoped Simon wasn't sat and anticipating for Carla to come back with his little sister.

He hoped this because he knew it would even more crushing for Simon to spend all this time thinking that Carla might come back to find later on that his Dad had returned home alone.

The six people in Peter's flat had no idea what was currently happening at the airport. Some of them were almost adamant that Carla's mind wouldn't be swayed and some were sat hoping she would come back.

They had no idea that Carla had just got through security and was walking towards the shops hand in hand with Jada. They were only an hour away from their flight and as they walked around the shops and the duty free section of the airport, Jada was becoming more and excited.

She had already talked her guilt ridden Mum into buying her a huge packet of chocolate M&M's for the flight and a good selection of magazines from the newsagent and then Jada had insisted on carrying around the carrier bag herself as Carla tried to keep her mind of the man who she had just left behind.

The six people at Number Twelve Rosamund street also had no idea that Peter was walking towards his car half stunned, half distraught and trying his absolute hardest not to break down in front of the many passers by.

In the rush it had taken to get to the airport and to Carla and Jada's suitcases checked in, Peter hadn't really made a point to remember where he had parked his car and it took him a frustrated half an hour of weaving in and out of other parked cars to find his own.

He slammed the door once he was in the driver's seat and it was then that Peter had assumed he would have been okay to cry. This was wear he had planned on letting it all come out but when it came down to it, the tears just wouldn't come.

Instead, Peter just sat in shock.

For some reason, now he was all alone and able to cry in peace, he just couldn't do it and he honestly didn't know what to do next or where to go next.

The safe thing to do would be to start carefully driving home and go and check that Simon was okay.

The safe thing to do would be for Peter to surround himself by friends and family who would try their very best to be supportive.

Peter started the ignition of his car but before he could do anything to stop it, the Circle Of Life started playing loudly. He'd forgotten to give Jada her Disney CD back and as the music from her favourite film began to echo around his car, Peter quickly turned off his ignition and gripped the steering wheel of his car tightly.

He didn't want to be careful right now… he didn't want support and he didn't want to go home.

There was only one thing he wanted right now and he knew that it definitely wasn't going to be at home.

Meanwhile, Carla was sat in the airport waiting for her plane to board and already she felt incredibly lonely.

Yes, Jada was sat next to her and was precociously thumbing through one of her new magazines but of course she wasn't someone Carla could talk to about how she was feeling.

It's not as if she could tell Jada how much Peter's little speech had affected her. It's not as if she could sit there and explain that the reason she didn't run into his arms and promise to stay was because she was terrified about what might happen if everything was to go wrong again.

Time seemed to drag on and on but eventually Carla's flight began boarding and as she and Jada began to take the walk to their gate, Carla felt her heart began to pound beneath her black jumper and leather jacket.

This was it… She was actually doing it… Leaving Manchester.

Just a week short of Two years since she had left the last time, Carla was once again walking with her heart practically in her mouth only this time she wasn't carrying an almost two week old Jada in a Moses basket, this time she was watching Jada skip happily by her side with Simba in her arms.

As they approached the gate that they needed to be at, Carla swallowed hard as Jada turned around and said,

"Mummy look!" She looked down to see her daughter was excitedly pointing out of the large glass window at the plane that they were going to get on. "We getting on plane!"

"Yes…" Carla just barley got out as Jada started running towards the door to the gate where people were queuing up.

Jada turned around when she reached the end of the queue and smiled at her Mum in a way that devastatingly reminded her of Peter… Seeing that smile had always reminded Carla of Peter but since they had spent the past three weeks with him, it hadn't mattered much anymore.

Now, Just like it had done before Peter was back in their life, Jada's smile would forever make her mother's heart burst with pride but also ache at the same time. It was an extremely odd feeling but it was one that Carla just had to put up with because she really did adore seeing her little one smile.

"Come on Mummy!" Jada cried, waving Carla over to the queue. "We going now…"

"I'm coming." Carla replied. She smiled bravely at her little girl and tried to perk her self up as she too joined the queue of people who were all getting ready to board the plane.

Everyone in the queue looked excited and thrilled to be boarding when it finally commenced… everyone except Carla that is. She smiled broadly every time her little girl gazed enthusiastically up at her but for the rest of the time she had to try her hardest not to cry.

Could she really do this?

Could she really leave Manchester... and leave Peter?

* * *

Hours had gone by.

It was almost half past four in the afternoon and The Barlow family plus Michelle and Steve were now waiting anxiously in Peter's flat for him to return home.

Simon was still shut in his bedroom and even though his Granddad Ken had checked on him a few times he had still insisted on staying in there alone.

Amy thought turning on the television might help but when she switched it on, it went straight to Jada's favourite television channel.

As a cartoon princess in a purple dress sang away on screen, Amy very quickly switched the channel over to an adult one and as she did so, Steve quietly said,

"It's probably a good thing you turned that on… we wouldn't want Peter doing that later and being faced with a kids channel would we?"

"Where is he?" Tracy asked now that Peter had been mentioned, They had been avoiding talking about him for a little while because it was clear that everyone was on edge about whether he would come straight home or not. Ken and Steve had started calling his mobile phone about an hour or so ago but when he didn't answer any of their calls, it didn't make the situation any better for anyone waiting.

"He should ave been home by now right?" Tracy asked again, sighing because she truly had hoped her brother would be with them safe and sound by now.

"There could be traffic…" Michelle began, trying to remain optimistic.

"Peter would have been done at the airport a long time ago now… Carla's flight left on time… he should be here, with or without traffic." Ken said quietly, looking thoroughly worried about his son who could be anywhere right now.

"Maybe he just wanted time alone… Like Simon." Steve said, also trying to remain optimistic about the situation although he knew his best friend very well and that his best friend had started drinking again for a lot less than this before.

"Maybe… Although Simon is also who I'm thinking about here... He need's his Dad." Ken nodded, he took a deep breath as he looked down at his phone and contemplated calling his son again.

"There's no point…" Said Amy who gently reached over and supportively took hold of her Granddad's hand.

"I know…" Ken said sadly, "He won't answer." Michelle watched as Ken, Tracy and Amy all looked thoroughly miserable, she leant towards Steve and quietly said in his ear,

"This is torture… I really wish we could do something to help."

"Me too…" Steve replied softly, he looked towards Ken who was actually getting paler and paler as the day went on and and as he worried about Peter, "Maybe I could take the cab out n go looking for him… y'know… in the obvious places."

"Yeah…" Michelle nodded, "That's a good idea." She gave Steve a quick kiss before he got up and cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Errrr… How about I go n look for Peter." He said, not quite sure how to phrase what he was about to do. "Y'know just in case he's feeling really bad and… needs someone."

Ken, Tracy and Amy all responded to Steve with a silent nod because they knew exactly the types of places that Steve might be looking in first and as he pulled out his car keys from his pocket, he began to say,

"I'll call if I hear anyth-"

There was the sudden sound of a door closing from below and it took everyone in the flat a few seconds to realise that it was the sound of the front door shutting.

Everyone in the room stood up and Simon came bursting out of his bedroom with red eyes and one last look of sheer hope on his face.

It wasn't just Simon who looked hopeful, everyone else in the flat would be lying if they said that they weren't secretly praying deep down that Peter would be returning home with Carla and Jada and that they were going to be staying for good.

The few seconds it took for whoever it was at the door to get up the stairs felt like eternity for those waiting on the other side of it and as they heard the sound of a key go into the door, they all held their breaths.

Simon spoke first.

"Dad…" He said hoarsely, staring at his Dad who was stood in the doorway with his keys in hand.

Simon wasn't the only one staring. Everyone in the room was watching Peter closely and whilst they could see that his eyes were bloodshot and his body was shaking, they knew that he was still sober, after all, if you're a relative or a friend of someone who drinks... you'll know instantly when that person has even had just one drink.

Wherever Peter had been for all these hours… he clearly hadn't been drinking.

"Peter… thank goodness." Ken said softly, walking towards his son who unfortunately… had returned home alone. "Peter are you alright?"

Peter nodded at first, he nodded but then he began shaking his head uncontrollably as he tried to speak and eventually he was able to come out with,

"They're gone." Peter then stepped forwards slowly and repeated himself, "They're gone…" He pretty much ignored everyone in the room except for Simon who was standing the furthest away. "I told her…" Peter began as he walked towards a tearful Simon, "I told her everything, how much she means to me, how much I love her and Jada… I begged her to stay but…" Peter shook his head at Simon who now had tears running down his cheeks, "I'm sorry Si… I'm so sorry I couldn't get her to stay." Peter started crying properly now, tears pouring out of his brown eyes as Ken, Tracy, Amy, Michelle and Steve were stood watching this heart-breaking Father and Son exchange.

"Dad…" Simon cried, throwing his arms around Peter and shaking his head, "Don't… don't say sorry… I don't blame you… none of this is your fault."

Peter didn't say anything this time… he just stayed in his son's arms whilst the people that surrounded him let them both have this moment alone… they were in tears too of course but they kept quiet whilst Simon and Peter comforted each other... There was someone else who needed comfort.

Someone who was miles and miles in the sky… Someone on a Virgin Atlantic plane who was sat sobbing silently to herself.

Carla and Jada had got on the plane.

They had been in the air for almost two hours now. Carla had managed to contain herself whilst boarding, she smiled at the flight attendants who all said Jada was probably the cutest child they'd had on board and whilst people were walking past and getting themselves settled, Carla had managed to stay in control.

It was only when they were in the air and on their way that Carla couldn't quite keep it in anymore.

Jada was sat in the window seat and was far too busy staring out the window, watching the little television on the back of the seat in front of her and playing with Simba to notice that her Mum was having a silent cry to herself.

There was no one there to comfort Carla but she knew this was how it was going to be from now on and so... she decided that she truly had to get used to it.


	27. Gone

_**Hi there!**_

 _ **I just wanted to say a quick thank you to all the people that are still reading this fic and to those who take the time to review it.**_

 _ **I hope it's not hard to stay interested now that our beloved Carla and Peter are apart (Not forgetting Jada and Simon too of course!)**_

 _ **I hope you all keep reading to see what happens next.**_

 _ **:)**_

* * *

As the airplane she was on finally hit the tarmac… Carla couldn't help but think about all the other times that she had landed in L.A before this one.

She thought about how each time she had arrived there before she'd be extremely excited and how she'd also be one of those people who shot straight out of their seat when the seatbelt sign got turned off, so that she could get off the plane as soon as possible and enjoy her holiday.

She thought about how excited she would get about the sunshine and the warm weather she'd be facing soon and she'd always spend her time in the airport queues, thinking about how much she was looking forward to spending her days on a beach.

Carla's thoughts soon turned to the time that she had arrived in Los Angels with Peter by her side. She remembered how apprehensive he was about it because he was sure LA wasn't somewhere he'd like and she remembered how difficult it was but how he really did adapted to life in America.

Of course that was all years and years ago... That was back in two thousand and twelve when life was completely different.

Back then, Carla would probably get a taxi from LAX airport to her best friend Susie's place and they'd catch up over a bottle of expensive wine by the pool but now… well now she had much more important priorities… one that don't include getting a tan and chatting over a few bottles of red.

The very last time Carla had got off a plane in Los Angeles, she had a practically new-born Jada with her. Jada was fast asleep in her Moses basket back then but now, almost two years later, Jada was wide awake and she looked rather eager to get off the plane they had spent half a day on.

This was it.

Carla and Jada were home… supposedly.

They had arrived in Los Angeles to blinding sunshine and nineteen degree warmth. Carla sighed because she already missed the grey skies of Manchester as she and Jada walked towards passport control with everyone else off their plane.

As they got into the rather long queue to scan their passports, Carla secretly hoped that maybe something would hold her and Jada up.

Even though she knew it was ridiculous, she hoped that maybe something would suddenly be wrong with her Visa and that she'd been sent straight back to the U.K but of course, nothing of the sort happened, Carla and Jada's passports scanned as normal and she and Jada were able to go through security without any problems at all.

Little Jada had spent sections of the rather tiresome flight back to Los Angeles on playing games and watching movies on her Mum's iPad but she had spent a good majority of it sleeping because by the time they'd been in the air for six hours, it was pretty much Jada's bedtime.

Carla eventually had to wake Jada up as they began their decent into LAX airport and was expecting her to kick off. Jada grumbled loudly at first but when she saw that she was still on the plane, she looked excited again. She was full of beans as she and her Mum went and waited for their luggage to appear and she didn't look as if she had just been woken up from a deep sleep.

Carla on the other hand hadn't slept a wink on the flight. She didn't even bother trying to nod off because she found it hard to sleep on planes at the best of times.

She knew that there was no way that she'd be able to fall asleep given her current circumstances.

Instead of sleeping, Carla had spent hours and hours thinking about all the people she had left behind in Manchester. She especially spent a lot of time in tears... thinking about the man she had left stood at the airport, also in tears.

The very moment that she had got off the plane, Carla wanted to switch on her phone and give Peter a call.

She wanted to speak to him... hear his voice and apologise for how she had left things between them and she wanted to tell Peter just how much he meant to her but she very quickly realised that back in Manchester it would now be the very early hours of the morning.

It obviously wouldn't be appropriate for Carla to start calling Peter's phone or anyone else's for that matter so she eventually settled for sending him a quick text message for him to read in the morning when he woke up... if he was even asleep of course.

 _"Hi Peter... I just thought I'd let you know that me n Jada landed safely… I'll call once we're all settled n when it's more of a decent time to speak to you... Hope you & Si are okay. Love Carla xx"_

There was a hell of a lot more that Carla had wanted to say in that message, so much more but then she thought writing anything else would probably just make things worse for Peter.

She thought that by sending him some of the funny pictures she took of Jada on the plane, (Including some of her wearing a pair of bright red sunglasses because she said the sky was coming through the window too bright) would only make the situation even more unbearable for Peter.

She also thought that by talking about how many people had commented on Jada's perfect behaviour would only rub it in even more, So in the end Carla had just gone for those few sentences and pressed send.

"Mummy look! There my one!" Jada cried, jumping up and down and pointing over at her suitcase, which had started to circle the luggage carousel in front of them.

"Let's go n get it then." Carla said, moving to the luggage carousel. "Jada wait ere…" She then said, putting her handbag and Jada's backpack down onto the ground along with their coats which they hadn't put on since getting off the plane seeing as it felt a little too warm in the airport. "You stay ere n watch the bags okay, Mummy will get the suitcases."

"Kay Mummy." Jada nodded, standing in front of her and her mother's belongings. She had Simba tucked underneath one arm and watched as her Mum reached forwards and lifted her brand new frozen suitcase off the luggage carousel.

"Okay… one down three more to go." Carla said, to herself pushing Jada's suitcase towards her.

"Where Minnie mouse one?" Jada asked, as if she had expected all of her and her Mum's suitcases to be coming out together in a line, she frowned worriedly but also comically and she made her Mum smile.

"I dunno, just keep n eye out for it monkey." Carla said, scanning the area for the rest of her and Jada's belongings.

"I look too." Jada said as she craned her neck and got up on her tiptoes to help search for their stuff.

It took a while and normally, Carla would have lost all patience by now but she was ridiculously glad to have a project right now. She was happy to have something to do other than think about Peter and Simon so she rather relished scanning the endless amounts of luggage and having something to do.

After a minute or two, Carla had spotted another one of her suitcases. Rather than navigating the crowds of plane passengers that were all trying to get their luggage and leave Jada alone, She decided to just wait for their luggage to make it's way over to them instead. Within a few minutes she had both her suitcases and Jada's at her feet and then she knew that it was time to get going.

"Right…" Carla sighed, staring down at all the suitcases in front of her and shaking her head. "Let's try n get out of ere shall we?" Jada watched her Mum bend down and pick up their coats and bags and then she watched her Mum seize the handles of her two suitcases.

In an attempt to be helpful, Jada jumped right into action and said,

"I big girl, I do my one!" She took hold of the Frozen suitcase and tried to grab hold of her Minnie Mouse too. Unfortunately she couldn't do that and hold Simba at the same time. As Simba hit the ground below, Jada frowned and said, "My can't hold Simba too Mummy."

"It's alright Jada..." Carla said, spotting some luggage trolleys further along. "Let's get one of those trolleys to help us…" Carla picked up Jada's little Minnie Mouse suitcase and cautiously balanced it on top of her largest one as she said, "Come on."

It took more than a minute for Carla and Jada to maneuverer their way over to where all the metal luggage trolleys were all kept but eventually they made it over there.

"Uh, I wish I'd thought this through Jada... We've got far too much luggage..." Carla said, heaving one of her suitcases onto the trolley and sighing. She pulled the next one up onto the trolley and then stuck one of Jada's on top of it. "You alright to pull that one then Jada?"

"Yes Mummy, I can do it." Jada nodded as if she was trying to be really well behaved for her Mum. She took hold of the handle on her Minnie Mouse suitcase and after her Mum put her yellow backpack over her shoulders, she quietly said, "We going now?"

"Yes…" Carla breathed, hanging her and Jada's coats over the trolley handle and sighing, "Let's.. go."

"Mummy…" Jada then said and the sound of her voice told Carla that her little girl was slightly confused about what was going to be happening next.

"Yes Jada." Carla said, looking down at her as they began heading towards arrivals.

"Where we going?" Jada asked, staring up at her Mother in awe as she pulled her little red suitcase behind her through the airport.

"Errrm…" Carla began, taking a deep breath and looking down at Jada. "We're going to our apartment, remember? Where we live." Before their trip to Manchester, Carla would have easily just said that she and Jada were going home and thought nothing of it but now she could barley get the word home out without thinking about the flat back in Rosamund Street.

Jada nodded for a moment but still looked puzzled as she and her Mum walked through the doors, which led out of arrivals.

"Auntie Susie!" Jada suddenly cried out loud, sending her suitcase flying in another direction as she ran towards a tall woman with blonde hair who looked thrilled to see her.

"Hi Jada!" The woman happily said, bending down and holding out her arms as Jada crashed into them. It took Carla a few moments to realise that her best friend Susie was stood at the arrivals gate with a huge smile on her face.

"Oh I've missed you so much Jada." Susie said, picking Jada up and kissing her on the cheek because she really had missed her and her Mum.

"I miss you." Jada giggled, practically shoving Simba in Susie's face as Carla began to push the luggage trolley towards them.

"What are you doing ere?" She asked, sniffing as Susie put Jada down onto the ground.

"Well I couldn't let you come all the way back on your own could I?" Susie said, laughing at all the luggage Carla was pushing and shaking her head. Susie stopped laughing when she saw the distraught look on her best friends face and looked apologetic. "Carla…" She said sympathetically and within the next second, Carla had thrown her arms around Susie in a state of uncontrollable tears. She had been trying so hard not to cry since they had got off the plane but now Susie was stood in front of her, she couldn't quite hold it in. "Don't cry." Susie said, holding Carla close to her and shaking her head.

"Mummy what wrong?" Jada asked, biting her bottom lip worriedly and staring up at her and Susie's embrace.

"Nothing's wrong sweetie, your Mummy just missed me that's all." Susie said, smiling down at Jada and then saying, "Grab your suitcase honey and we'll take it to my car." Jada nodded up at Susie and took hold of her red suitcase but she still looked worried about her Mum.

"I'm alright…" Carla said, pulling away from Susie and sniffing. "Come on, let's go." Susie took control of the luggage trolley whilst Carla held her hand out for Jada to take. She reached up and took hold of her Mum's hand but she didn't speak again as they began to make their way out of the airport.

Susie had a whole load of questions that she wanted to ask Carla right now but as she opened the boot of her car, she knew that now really wasn't the time to ask them. Jada had grown increasingly concerned about her Mother and continued watching her slowly as she and Susie began piling their suitcases into the car. She clutched Simba in her arms tightly and stood by as Susie turned to Carla and said,

"I can't believe you brought so much stuff back."

"Yeah… I know... but there's loads of presents in there isn't there Jada." Carla said, turning to Jada who had her head rested against Simba. There wasn't much more room in the boot of the car, so Susie ended up squeezing Jada's two little suitcases on the back seat and as she did so Carla looked into the car and said,

"You brought Jada's car seat…"

"Yeah, I thought we'd need it." Susie said, nodding towards the car seat that she had fixed into the car earlier on. "Come on Jada, hop in then." Jada smiled as Susie helped her climb into the car. She sat in her old car seat and as she did so, Susie then said, "Jada… I think you've grown since I last saw you… look you're nearly getting too big for this."

"Really?" Carla asked, with an eyebrow raised as Susie fastened all of Jada's seatbelts.

"Yeah, Don't you think she looks taller?" Susie said, making sure that Jada was completely safe in her seat. "Then again you see her everyday so probably not…" Susie poked Jada playfully on the nose as she then said, "How was your birthday missy?"

"My birthday!" Jada said, smiling excitedly and then raising both hands in the air. "I got Ariel dolly…" Jada said, moving her head to see if she could find her dolly. "Mummy where Ariel?" She asked as Carla got into the passengers seat in front of her.

"She's in your back pack." Carla said as Susie climbed into the drivers seat and shut the door behind her. "You can show Auntie Susie her when you get home okay?" Carla yawned as Jada nodded and as Susie innocently asked,

"Wow, Who got you a mermaid doll Jada?"

"Simon!" Jada cried, excitingly raising both hands in the air again but then she stopped looking excited and asked, "Mummy where's Simon?"

"Wow…" Carla said hoarsely, "It took what… twenty… twenty five minutes for Jada to ask where Simon is?" Susie looked apologetically at Carla as Jada spoke again, raising her voice before she wasn't answered,

"Mummy! Where Simon gone?..." She paused slightly as if she was thinking about something but Carla already knew which question would be coming next and sure enough, Jada asked the question that Carla had been dreading, "And Daddy where Daddy gone?"

"They're not gone... they're at home Jada." Carla sighed, knowing that _home_ really wouldn't be a sufficient enough answer. She had come to expect lots of questions from her daughter about where her other family members were but she really hadn't expected it quite so soon.

Susie bit her lip, feeling extremely sorry for Carla as she began driving towards the exit of the airport car park. She decided that she should change the subject of the conversation so that her best friend wouldn't start crying, so she quickly asked,

"Jada did you have fun on the plane?" Jada nodded and began nattering away about the plane and how she sat next to the window but after a few minutes she lost steam and began to ask where her Dad and Brother were again.

Carla had hoped that Jada might fall back asleep once they had got on the freeway and headed towards their apartment but alas, Jada kept talking and talking, not showing any signs of being tired at all.

Susie could see that Carla was finding all these questions rather difficult so she kept trying to distract Jada and keep her chatty for the rest of the journey back to Carla's apartment.

As she pulled up in the car park of Carla's building, Jada looked out the window and gazed at what should be familiar surroundings. She looked at all the other cars around her and as Carla turned around to look at her, Jada clutched Simba very tightly and put her thumb in her mouth. Carla could tell that her little girl was slightly nervous about something and smiled at her saying,

"You alright Jada?" Jada nodded but she didn't say anything. Which made Carla reach over and touch her saying, "It's okay."

"We're home..." Susie said, nodding as she turned off the ignition of her car.

Carla winced at the world home as she turned around and undid her seatbelt. She took a deep breath as she got out of Susie's black range rover. She then walked round the front of the car whilst her best friend began getting out her and Jada's luggage.

"Come on Jada." Carla said, smiling at her daughter as much as she could as she undid her seatbelts. Jada was still holding onto Simba as her Mum heaved her out of the car seat. "Wait ere." Jada was put on the ground as Carla began to help Susie with the four suitcases and five minutes or so later, they were already stood outside the door to Carla and Jada's apartment.

"Are… we gonna go in?" Susie asked standing behind Carla and all the suitcases with Jada stood nearby.

"Yeah… I just… well I need a moment." Carla said, biting her lip and taking a deep breath. Susie nodded understandingly at Carla and waited patiently for her to take her keys out of her pocket.

The door to Carla's apartment led to a rather large, open plan living room and kitchen area, with wide windows which gave a rather magnificent view of a beach in the distances. It was dark at first but Susie very quickly switched on the lights.

"Hellooo!" Jada called as they through the front door properly, she was scanning the apartment as if she expected someone to be in there but when no one answered, she then turned to her Mum and said, "Nobody here, Mummy."

"I know…" Carla nodded, half amused as she and Susie walked further into the room, dragging the luggage behind them. Carla breathed out as Jada stared around what was once her beloved home. She still had Simba in her hands as she observed a space which a month ago was the only place she knew as home but after a few moments, moments where her Mother and Auntie watched her closely, Jada took her backpack off and ran over to a corner where she kept some of her favourite toys.

"Simba's home errryone!" Jada said, pointing her lion down at a group of soft toys, which lay on the floor beneath her. Susie smiled at her as Carla closed the door of her apartment, she looked slightly anxious as Susie walked into the kitchen and said,

"Do you want a coffee Carla?"

"No…" Carla said, shaking her head as she travelled across her living room. "I'm alright thanks."

"You sure?" Susie asked, walking back towards Carla as Jada sat down on her bottom and began playing with some of the toys she had left behind and missed.

"Yeah… I don't think I can eat or drink anything right now…" Carla said, looking around at her apartment, she stared at her huge television, her comfortable deep red sofa and her fluffy black rug, which sat underneath a glass coffee table and she shook her head as Susie said,

"Sit down then… you must be exhausted." Carla walked over to her sofa and sat down on it. There was a few moments of silence before Jada got up from where she was playing and said,

"Mummy where Christmas tree gone?"

"We don't ave one yet..." Carla said, sniffing as she sat down onto her sofa and looking at Jada who picked up her yellow backpack. "We'll buy one tomorrow baby."

"We go shopping?" Jada asked, opening her backpack and pulling out her mermaid doll.

"Tomorrow." Carla said, smiling at Jada from the sofa. She watched as Jada walked back over to her toys with her new mermaid dolly and sat down to introduce Ariel to everyone there.

"I have missed her so much…" Susie said, laughing at Jada who was chatting away to all her toys like they really were people, "And you."

"We've missed you too, we really ave." Carla nodded, also looking at Jada. She then looked around the vast apartment space and said, "Thanks so much for looking after this place whilst we were gone."

"Ahh no problem." Susie said nodding, she looked at Carla who looked down at her fingers in vain. "So… how was it?" Susie asked, watching Carla who looked totally heartbroken.

"What?" Carla asked, quietly, swallowing and trying hard not to cry even though she already had tears in her eyes.

"Saying goodbye." Susie replied.

"Excruciating." Carla begun and there and then she began to tell Susie all about what it was like in Manchester.

Even though they had both been in contact the whole time that Carla was gone, she still had so much to fill Susie in on. She told her all about how difficult it was in the beginning, how it felt to pretty much move back in with Peter and Simon and how quickly they had got used to life in Manchester.

Every so often Carla had to stop and wipe her eyes because she couldn't help but begin sobbing again but she made sure that Jada didn't see because she really didn't want to worry her little girl any more than she had done.

"I gotta admit, I honestly didn't think you'd come back." Susie said when Carla was done filling her in on life in Weatherfield and also with what had happened whilst at the airport with Peter. "I know you kept saying that you were coming back but it just sounded like you were having so much fun with Peter and Simon… I really thought that you'd end up staying in the end."

"Fun." Carla repeated, wiping her eyes again and sniffing hard, "I can't just uproot my whole life for fun can I?"

"You know what I mean." Susie said, shaking her head and giving Carla a little push. "I at least thought you'd stay for Christmas."

"I thought about it." Carla nodded wistfully, thinking about the Christmas she and Jada could have had with Peter and Simon. "I really did… but if I had of stayed for Christmas then I would ave stayed for new year n then my birthday…" Carla turned to look at Jada who was singing quietly to her self and who began taking off her shoes. "I just thought it would be easier in the long run if I went now."

"Really?" Susie asked looking as if she didn't believe Carla.

"Yes really." Carla nodded, "Leaving Weatherfield was awful but I'm sure it would ave been worse to leave had I stayed any longer… Besides, I ave responsibilities here, I can't just forget about them,"

"When do you start your new job then?" Susie asked, as Jada approached the sofa with Simba in her hands, she climbed on to the chair and sat next to Carla who sighed and said,

"Well, I don't officially start until the new year, but I do ave to go in at some point before Christmas to sign all the paper work n stuff." She took hold of Jada and gently pulled her on to her lap so she could sit comfortably, "I'll probably go on Tuesday… I'll see... I might take Jada into Butterflies for a while… see how she gets on… there... just so she can say hello at least." Carla then looked at her daughter who had put her thumb in her mouth and asked, "Do you wanna see your friends from Butterflies Jada?" Jada nodded slowly but she didn't look quite convincing as she sat on her Mum's lap. Carla gave her a little smile and looked back at Susie who asked,

"What time would it be back in England?"

"About four am I think…" Carla said sighing and then yawning, Jada rubbed her eyes and yawned too which made Carla then say, "I should probably think about getting this little one to sleep soon... Try n start fixing the dreaded jet lag."

"She's been so good." Susie nodded, looking at Jada who yawned again.

"She really has." Carla nodded, "The whole time we were away she pretty much behaved herself all the time… Still cheeky though... Everyone just loved her."

"Of course they did." Susie smiled, "How could they not, Jada's a dream."

"She's her father all over…" Carla sighed to her self, staring down at Jada who was sucking her thumb softly and paying no attention what so ever to what her mother and Susie were saying.

"You still love him… don't you?" Susie asked delicately, watching Carla who had a tear running down her cheek.

"Yes well…" Carla said, getting up off the sofa with Jada in her arms. "Sometimes love really isn't enough… I'm gonna take Jada into her bedroom n see if she'll go to sleep… I'll be back okay."

"Alright." Susie nodded as Carla walked towards Jada's bedroom door.

Jada's bedroom was the furthest room away from the living room area and as Carla pushed the door open, She quietly said to her,

"Look Jada… Your bedroom." Jada's room was painted a beautiful shade of lilac and it had yellow flowers adorning the walls. She had a little yellow table and chairs in one corner, which had all sorts of colouring books and paper scattered across it, along with some crayons. There was a white bookshelf propped against the wall closest to Jada's bed and it had an endless amount of books on it, books which Carla and Jada had shared together many many nights before their trip back to Manchester.

"My bed." Jada said, pointing over at her little white bed, which had purple bed sheets and a purple canapé hanging above it which always made Jada feel like a proper little Princess. Carla put her down onto her matching lilac carpet and switched on the light, as Jada went over to some more of her toys and began rifling through them. Carla let her play for a moment and then went into a white cabinet and pulled out a pair of Jada's pyjamas.

"Come ere Jada let's put these on." She said, walking over to Jada who had already climbed onto her bed by this point. Once Jada was out of her jumper and jeans and into a pair of light blue pyjamas which had little white kittens on, Carla pulled back her soft bed sheets and said, "Get in then, n we'll read a story."

Jada nodded and scrambled into her bed covers whilst Carla stared at the bookshelf to choose a book. She eventually went for an old favourite of Jada's a book about a witch who lived in a black house with her black cat, Wilbur.

"Sit here Mummy." Jada said, patting at the space next to her on the bed. Carla sat down on the bed next to Jada and then opened the book to begin reading it. Just as Carla finished reading the story, Jada smiled albeit a tiredly and said,

"The end my friend."

 _The end my friend_ was an old saying that Peter had always said once reaching the end of a book. Carla nodded put the book down on Jada's bedside cabinet before stroking her tenderly on the side of her head and saying,

"We haven't read that story for a long time ave we?" Jada yawned and pulled Simba closer to her as Carla bent down and gave her a kiss.

"Give Simba kiss too." Jada said, raising Simba slightly so that he could get a kiss. Carla nodded and kissed Simba on the head before smiling sadly at Jada and saying,

"Good night Princess…" She had used one of Peter's nicknames for Jada and sniffed as she then said, "I hope you sleep well…"

"Night Mummy…" Jada said rubbing her eyes again.

"I love you Jada." Carla said softly, as she continued to stroke Jada on the head until she ended up falling asleep which didn't take long at all.

"She's asleep." Carla said as she walked back into her living room and over to her red sofa. She sat down on it as she ran a hand through her hair and then sighed, "At first I thought she'd find it weird… sleeping alone cause for the past three weeks she's been in Peter's bed with one of us… or both of us at times… but nope… she went out light a light… Me on the other hand… I don't reckon it'll be that easy for me to sleep."

"I can stay if you want…" Susie offered, knowing that Carla would have a hard time getting used to life in LA again, even if it had only been three weeks since she had gone.

"Thanks… but no, I've gotta get used to all this sometime." Carla sighed, smiling at Susie appreciatively and shaking her head.

"Alright… but if you do need me, make sure you call okay." Susie said, looking at her best friend firmly.

"I will. I will." Carla said, looking over at all the suitcases that were by her door. "Sorting out all of those'll keep me busy for a while."

"I still can't believe you brought so much luggage back, I know you said that Jada got a lot of birthday presents but still..." Susie said as Carla turned back to face her.

"It's not just her birthday presents, there's Christmas presents too… plus it's freezing in Manchester, I had to buy new coats and clothes for us both." Carla explained, feeling like that shopping trip she and Jada had taken all those weeks back, was just yesterday.

"Who are the Christmas presents from?" Susie gently asked.

"Everyone… Michelle, Tracy Peter's sister, His Dad Ken…" Carla said, her eyes teary once more. "And Peter and Si of course... I left some for them underneath the tree… I couldn't bare to hand them over so I just shoved them under there this morning…" Carla ran a hand through her hair again and shook her head as she said, "I sent Peter a text when the plane landed… A measly little text." Carla let out an exasperated breath as she then said, "It were only a few sentences, the kind of text I'd send to anyone… He deserves so much more but I just couldn't do it y'know." Susie nodded understandingly as Carla sighed again and said, "I would have phoned but it's the middle of the night there… he's probably in bed…"

Carla was right, Peter was in bed… but of course he wasn't sleeping... He could never be sleeping at a time like this.

He had been awake for hour and hours on end and hadn't even come close to closing his eyes and dropping off to sleep.

His family and friends had stayed at his flat until way into the night and in the end, just to get rid of them, Peter had pretended that he was tired and he wanted to go to sleep.

Simon had gone into his room a long time before that and as Peter's family and friends reluctantly left them alone, he knew there was no way that he would get some sleep tonight, especially given the fact that he'd be sleeping all alone for the first time in a while.

His bed still smelt like Jada and Carla. The moment Peter got inside it at one am when he'd finally had enough of sitting alone in his living room, he could almost feel the presence of his daughter and Carla.

Peter knew that one day he'd see them again, he knew that one day they would come to visit and that he could talk to them whenever he wanted to on the phone but he still felt an incredible sense of loss.

One that he couldn't shake off no matter how hard he tried.

He lied wide awake, staring at his ceiling for what seemed like hours and then his phone vibrated next to him.

Peter rolled over to take a look at it and it was then that he saw the text message that Carla had sent him.

 _"Hi Peter… I just thought I'd let you know that me n Jada landed safely… I'll call once we're all settled n when it's more of a decent time to speak to you... Hope you & Si are okay. Love Carla x"_

Peter must have read this message over four or five times.

His first instinct was to call Carla's number right away, show her that he wasn't asleep and that he was more than happy to speak to her and Jada. The past fourteen or so hours without her and his daughter had been actual torture for him and he wanted nothing more to speak to them and at least hear their voices but Peter knew they'd have other stuff to do… more important stuff.

He then went to reply to the message instead but he couldn't quite start to type some words out.

He didn't know what to say to Carla in this message other than that he was definitely not okay and neither was Simon who was probably down the hall also wide awake.

How could he and Simon ever be okay?

They were both completely distraught and were both sure that they would never feel okay again but of course Peter didn't want to write that.

He didn't want Carla to feel to blame so he eventually decided that he'd reply to her message in the morning... although the way that he was feeling right now, it felt like the morning would never come.


	28. Empty

_**I am extremely sorry for it being almost TWO MONTHS since I've updated this fic.**_

 _ **I've been so busy (Blah blah blah you've heard it all before) but seriously I have barley had time to do anything but work and sleep.**_

 _ **Thanks to all of you who have been sending me messages on here to see if I'm alright (You should follow me on twitter :P )**_

 _ **Also thanks to those who have been so patient with me and who have waited for this update.**_

 ** _:)_**

* * *

The first day went by immensely slowly.

Peter and Simon eventually surfaced from their bedrooms on a very wet and very miserable Sunday morning and they spent the day barley speaking to each other.

Not because they were angry at one another of course but because neither one of them knew what to say to comfort the other.

Neither one knew what to say to make the situation better.

Simon didn't know what to say that would make his Dad feel at ease now that he had lost not only his little girl but also the love of his life.

Peter didn't know what he could say that would make Simon not want to burst into tears about not having his little sister in the room next door like he had done for the past three weeks.

Their day wasn't spent in silence however.

Peter and Simon had many visitors, the first one had arrived at twelve pm and didn't leave until late because he knew just how much his son and Grandson were hurting.

Ken.

Ken made endless cups of tea and coffee, he also put the television on in the hope that a little background noise would ease how quiet Peter and Simon's flat now was in the absence of Carla and Jada.

Over the past few weeks in Peter and Simon's flat, there had always been some sort of music playing as Carla liked to have it on in the background or one of Jada's noisy toys would be going off and filling the living room with endless sounds or animal noises and nursery rhymes.

Normally the flat would be full of chitchat, full of singing, full of laughter but now, even with the television on, it no longer felt like home.

Ken hated seeing Peter and Simon feeling so down and even the visit from the likes of Michelle, Steve, Tracy and Amy couldn't lift their spirits.

Everybody tried their best to make pleasant conversation and keep things light hearted but it was clear that no matter how many cups of tea they had and how many people came around, Peter and Simon were not going to recover from this at any time soon.

Peter couldn't describe the way he was feeling… not to anyone.

All he could think of was how much to blame he felt and yet somehow, even though he was ridden with thoughts of how he should have done more or said more, Peter also felt like he was empty inside... as if he was numb and that he would never feel happiness again.

"Thanks for coming Dad." He said with a sad sniff at around nine pm that night.

Steve had left about half an hour ago whilst Michelle and Tracy had gone with Amy two hours ago.

Steve had hung around in the hope that after Michelle, Tracy and Amy had gone Peter might have been a little more forth coming about how he was currently feeling but Steve was unable to get much more out of Peter other than a few words here and there.

Steve knew that his best friend was hurting... hurting really bad and he knew that Peter would need some time to get over Jada and Carla's departure properly, he knew that there would be times like this where Peter didn't want to talk but Steve also knew that Peter was vulnerable right now and that it wouldn't take much for him to return to the alcohol, something that he had managed to stay away from for such a long time.

Steve wasn't the only person thinking this way.

The likes of Ken, Tracy and Michelle were also concerned that this emotional blow might be enough to send Peter back to the booze which is why they had all flocked to his flat on Sunday but Peter wasn't the only one that they were worried about.

Simon.

Before Carla and Jada's return to Manchester, Simon had been in quite a bit of trouble.

He'd been lashing out at school, getting into fights and his teachers had even had Peter in for a meeting about it but since being in the presence of his little sister and even Carla it seemed like Simon had mellowed and like he felt like he had to be a good influence on Jada… which he really and truly was.

However, now that she was thousands of miles away, Ken, Tracy, Michelle and Steve all had thoughts of Simon returning that way on their mind.

Sometime during the early evening, Ken had decided they could all do with a treat and as it was obvious that no one wanted to get up and cook, He suggested that they should ordered over some Pizza's.

It was a good idea at first, everyone nodded and said yes but of course, when it actually came down to it and the Pizza's arrived, no one felt much like eating too much so there was a lot of left over Pizza on the kitchen counter as Ken walked towards Peter at nine pm that night and said,

"Please, Don't mention it Peter."

"I'm sorry me n Si weren't exactly welcoming." Peter sighed, sitting on his sofa and rubbing the back of his neck.

"Don't apologise son… No one blames you for that, You n Si are bound to be upset…" Ken said and then he looked at Peter intently as he said, "No one blames you for Carla choosing to leave either." Peter didn't say anything at first, he just shook his head and looked towards Simon's bedroom door where Simon had retreated back to hours and hours ago.

"It is my fault Dad, I should ave been honest sooner, I should ave told Carla sooner how I felt about her… I'm such a idiot." Peter let out an annoyed sigh and shook his head again as he said, "Not that it would ave made a difference, I'm a failure... I don't blame her for going... I should never ave done the things that I did… the cheating… the drinking…" tears ran down Peter's cheeks as he spoke and he genuinely looked tragic as he sat before his Dad. "Had I been a better husband, a better father… I wouldn't be in this mess..." Peter then looked at Ken in an ashamed way and asked, "You tell me not to blame myself… then whose fault is it that things have ended this way eh?"

"It's no one's fault Peter... and you are not a failure." Ken said immediately, although Peter shook his head again and wasn't going to be convinced that the reason he was currently sat alone wasn't completely down to him. "You look absolutely exhausted." Ken said sympathetically, shaking his head at his tired son.

"I couldn't sleep... in there…" Peter said shaking his head again, looking towards his bedroom door this time and taking a breath. "I tried to I really did but all I could think about was the times we shared in there... I feel so alone in there… it's too empty now."

"I'm so sorry you have to go through all of this Peter, I really and truly am. I'd do anything to spare you n Simon this hurt." Ken said, looking genuinely gutted for his son and wishing that there was something he could do to help.

"Honestly Dad… somehow… Carla going with Jada... well it was probably a good thing." Peter said, surprising Ken slightly and making him ask,

"What do you mean, Peter?"

"Well had she of stayed… I probably would ave messed up again at some point right?" Peter said dismally, "I always do… it's as if when things are going perfectly for me I always manage to screw it up." Ken went to speak but Peter quickly shook his head and continued, "Come on Dad you know I'm right… I screwed up every single relationship I've ever had, at least going through all this is going to make me learn me lesson."

"Peter please don't think like that." Ken said, shaking his head and giving his son a supportive shoulder grab. "You've already learnt your lesson… anyone can see that… and If it helps… I know you wouldn't hurt Carla again… in fact I'm sure of it."

"Yeah… well… She's gone now… So I guess we'll never know eh." Peter said bitterly, knowing that he'd lost his chance forever.

Ken felt useless.

For once he had absolutely no idea of what to say to his heartbroken son and they sat in silence for a few moments before Peter wiped his eyes and spoke again.

"She text me you know… they had just landed… in LA, I think…" Peter sniffed hard and wiped his eyes again as he then said, "She said she'd phone but…" Peter looked at the clock and saw how late it was and then said, "I dunno… maybe she has forgotten."

"Peter I doubt that very much." Ken said shaking his head slowly.

"I don't mean it in a bad way Dad…" Peter said quickly, "I just mean she's probably just very busy getting used to being back home… not to mention the time difference... They are probably jet lagged."

"She'll call, I know it." Ken assured Peter who looked down at his hands and quietly said,

"I'm not sure I want her too, I mean don't get me wrong, I'd love to speak her and Jada… I just don't know what to say… I already miss her so much Dad… n today's just day one."

"I think when she calls… you'll just know what to say." Ken said to Peter, nodding slowly, "It'll come naturally, Son I promise… I bet she'll call or message you soon and... I'm even more sure that she definitely hasn't forgotten."

* * *

Ken was right.

Carla hadn't forgotten to call at all.

In fact she had been sitting with her phone in her hand for a good portion of her first day back in Los Angeles but she simply couldn't double tap on Peter's name and call him.

Last night Susie had reluctantly left Carla's apartment an hour or so after Jada had fallen asleep and at first, Carla had managed to keep herself busy.

She opened all the post that Susie had been collecting for her since being away and after reading through it all and sorting it out, Carla then decided that she should probably begin on the four suitcases that were still by the door.

She pulled the suitcases over to her living room and took a deep breath as she began to un-zip the first one, which was one of Jada's.

Carla's throat grew dry as she began to take out all of the wonderful and generous presents that Jada had been bought from her family and friends back in Weatherfield and it was then that it dawned on Carla that she probably shouldn't have done this tonight.

She wished that she had just left putting all their belongings back until another day but then Carla also knew that she would probably never get around to sorting through all of this stuff if she left it.

She organised all the books Jada had received and silently went to put them on Jada's already overflowing white bookshelf in her room. Carla then took some of the toy's Jada had received with her and tiptoed back into her bedroom to put them away.

There were so many that Carla chose to leave some in the living room, so she put them in a large purple trunk, which was where Jada kept a lot of her toys.

Each toy held some sort of memory from Weatherfield and as Carla walked back in to her living area, she sighed and knew that she had a long night of bittersweet memories ahead of her.

It took almost an hour and a half to go through all of their clothes, jackets and shoes but eventually Carla was finished.

That was it.

They were unpacked and supposedly "home" but for the first time since she had moved into the building with Jada, it didn't feel like home at all.

Carla yawned as she wondered around her empty apartment and had nothing else she could do but head towards her bedroom. She walked in there and began to get ready for bed although she knew there was no way she'd be able to get even a decent amount of sleep tonight.

Hours were spent tossing and turning but somehow, probably due to sheer exhaustion, Carla had eventually managed to fall asleep.

Unfortunately… the sounds of crying woke Carla up at three thirty am.

Her eyes shot open, she jumped out of bed and ran out of her room to surprisingly find a sobbing Jada sitting on the floor in the hallway, he brown hair was tousled and she was clutching Simba tightly with both hands.

"Baby what are you doing?" Carla asked, slightly stunned and staring for a moment. She then snapped out of it and ran towards her little girl. "Jada?" Carla asked, bending down and picking her up.

"I… looking." Jada said, rubbing her eyes and then yawning.

"Looking…" Carla said, rubbing the side of Jada's head tenderly and then walking with her back into her bedroom. "What are you looking for darlin?" Carla asked although she had a feeling she knew exactly what her two year old was looking for… not what… who.

"Daddy." Jada replied, she yawned again and looked half asleep as her Mum took her into her bedroom, "Where Daddy?" Jada asked as she and her Mum made her way over to her bed.

"Daddy is at home." Carla said with tears in her eyes as she sat Jada down onto her bed. "He's not ere darlin." Jada looked confused as her Mum climbed into the bed next to her and pulled the sheets up so that they covered her and Simba.

"Where Simon?" Jada asked, resting on one of Carla's huge pillows and sniffing.

"With Daddy." Carla explained, sighing sadly and knowing that she probably had days and days of this come.

She knew Jada wasn't going to stop asking for her Dad and her brother and although it was going to be painful, Carla knew that she would rather have Jada ask for Peter and Simon than forget about them.

As excruciating as it was, Carla was going make sure she showed Jada every single picture they had taken when in Weatherfield, the ones at the flat, the ones down the Red Rec, the ones out eating dinner, the ones from Jada's Birthday and anymore that she could find.

Carla was going make sure she spoke about everyone back in Manchester every day and she was going to try her best to make sure that her little girl would never forget the wonderful time she'd had whilst there.

"Tell you what…" Carla said as she leant forwards and gave Jada a kiss as she then said, "We will call them tomorrow okay, Daddy n Si... Ave a nice chat." Jada nodded at her Mum and held Simba tightly, in her arms.

Carla felt as if Jada didn't look convinced that they would speak to her Dad and brother and watched as Jada put her thumb in her mouth and sniffed again.

"I promise... now how about you sleep in here with Mummy tonight okay…" Carla said, smiling at Jada warmly.

"Kay." Jada nodded, taking her thumb out of her mouth giving her Mum a brave but somehow still sad smile before she yawned again. Carla smiled back at her daughter and lied down next to her.

As much as she was distraught to have found Jada in that sorry state in the hallway, Carla was slightly glad that she had woken up because at least now they weren't sleeping alone.

It didn't take too long for Jada to fall back asleep, a few minutes or so but Carla stayed awake for a long time, just watching her daughter and wondering how her little two year old was going to adapt to life back in Los Angeles.

She had seen just how quickly Jada had gotten used to living in Manchester, in fact anyone could have see just how much Jada had loved it there, she seemed to just fit in right away and it truly felt as her and her Mum had never left.

* * *

After managing to get a couple of hours of sleep, Carla woke up on Sunday morning at nine am. Jada was still fast asleep, Simba by her side one arm rested above her head. Carla gave her a good morning kiss and left her snuggled up tight in her bed, whilst she went into the bathroom.

Carla had an extremely quick shower and got dressed in a hurry because she wanted to make sure she would be available for Jada when she woke up and it was the little things like that, that Carla knew she would have to get used to again.

Whilst living with Peter and Simon, Carla had been able to take her time with things like that because they were there to keep Jada entertained and watch her but now Carla knew she'd have to get used to doing things like this when Jada was in bed.

Jada was still asleep when Carla went to check on her at half past nine and as she walked into her kitchen she heard her mobile phone ringing from the coffee table where she had left it last night.

Michelle's name flashed up on the screen and Carla quickly swiped her thumb across the screen so she could hear her best friends voice.

"Hello…" She breathed.

"Hi babe…" Carla heard Michelle say on the other side of the world.

"Chelle… I love you for calling but you shouldn't phone like this, it'll cost you a fortune, why didn't you skype?" Carla said, shaking her head although she was mighty glad to be speaking to Michelle right now.

"Oh as if I care about that? Besides my internet's playin up." Michelle replied, "I just wanted to talk to ya. How was your flight?"

"As good as it could ave been." Carla said with a hand on her hip, "Dragged on n on tho, I was so glad to get off the plane but at the same I really didn't want to... Susie was there to pick me up thank god, I didn't realise how difficult it would be to get all our luggage through the airport."

"Aww I'm glad Susie met you…" Michelle said with a slight tone of relief to her voice because she'd been having visions of Carla doing it all alone.

"Yeah me too, it was good to see her, Jada was thrilled too." Carla said, deciding she should probably prepare some breakfast for Jada and making her way to her kitchen.

"So… how are you doing then? How's LA?" Michelle asked.

"Erm…" Carla said vaguely as she walked into her kitchen. "LA's alright, it's pouring down at the moment…" Carla said, gazing out one of her wide windows and looking at the grey skies in the distance, "And… as for me… I don't really know." She paused as she opened her cupboards and looked at the food she had stored inside. "I'm…"

Carla couldn't explain it.

Just like Peter she was unable to put how she was feeling into words.

Just like Peter she felt guilty and also… empty inside.

"I'm just trying to get on with everything…" Carla eventually said with a sad sigh, "Try n get some sort of normal routine going as soon as possible."

"I understand that… how's Jada?" Michelle then asked instead, sounding as if she was walking somewhere.

"She's asleep right now, still jet lagged I reckon… like me." Carla said, closing the doors to her cupboard and knowing there would be no point looking in her fridge for something to cook for breakfast because she and Jada hadn't been in that apartment for months.

"What time is there? Like half nine am right?" Michelle asked.

"Just about." Carla nodded, sighing and going over to her posh coffee machine and deciding to make herself a drink. "I don't really think Jada really knows what's going on right now… she woke up in the middle of the night... I found her in the hallway, in tears… asking where her Daddy n Simon were."

"Oh… Carla." Michelle said sounding sympathetic as she heard the apparent pain in Carla's voice. "I'm so sorry you're dealing with all of this."

"Don't be Chelle…" Carla sighed again, "I mean what was I expecting eh? Jada to never mention em both ever again? No way, I'd never have that, I'm glad she asked… as painful as it was. I want her to remember, I'm gonna make her remember… it'll be hard but I did it before didn't I?"

Carla remembered how hard it was when she had first started showing Jada pictures of all her family members and how she had always felt like she wanted to cry, especially when she showed Jada the pictures of Peter and Simon but eventually it got easier for Carla… only slightly easier but Carla knew that only a little bit easier was better than nothing.

"I guess you did." Michelle said sadly, knowing how difficult life was going to be for Carla, she paused as she took a deep breath and she was just about to speak when she heard Carla ask her,

"So… what ave you been up today?"

"Erm… well honestly, I've... been round Peter n Simon's." Michelle eventually said, she had been on her way home from their place when she had called Carla and after spending the day with a down and dejected Peter and Simon, she simply had to call Carla and make sure she was okay… well as okay as Carla could be of course. "Me n Steve popped round… Ken n Tracy too."

"Oh…" Carla said, her throat had been growing hoarse by the minute, especially since she had been desperate to ask Michelle if she had seen or heard from Peter yet. "How was it?"

Carla was desperate to actually ask _"How was Peter and Simon?" A_ fter being her best friend for so long, Michelle could instantly tell so she delicately said,

"Honestly? They were both gutted… they ave been since you've left, Carla." Michelle could hear Carla's rather rigid breathing on the other side of the phone and then she said, "I'm sorry… I just… I don't want to lie to you."

"I know… I don't want you to lie either." Carla said sniffing, "I just hate the thought of Peter n Si being so down... because of me."

"Carla you did what you had to…" Michelle began, "I think Peter knows that deep down… he knows why you left n I don't think he blames you either."

"Did he… did he say what happened at the airport?" Carla asked, still standing in her kitchen and leaning against one of her shiny marble counters, she bit her lip as she waited for Michelle to reply and say,

"No… not really, he just said that he told you how he felt… n that you still left."

"It were the hardest… thing… I've ever done." Carla said in between silent sobs, she had tears dribbling from her eyelids and she relived the moment she walked away from Peter. "I love him too of course I do... Chelle I regretted leaving the moment I did."

"You're bound to darlin." Michelle said softly, She paused before she then said, "You can always come back."

Carla was quiet for a long time before she answered Michelle again.

"I can't do that… I know I said I regret it but… I'm ere now, I can't take Jada back n forth like a Yo-yo… besides I took that job… I ave responsibilities."

"I know… but it was worth a shot right?" Michelle said, trying to sound as if she was joking.

"Yeah." Carla nodded, smiling at her best friends tone of voice, she sighed heavily before she looked out the window at the drizzly rain and said, "I miss you all so much already Chelle."

"We miss you too." Michelle said earnestly, Carla went to speak again when there was the sound of little footsteps and she turned to find Jada walking into the kitchen with Simba in her arms.

"Morning monkey." Carla said, smiling widely and hoping Jada wouldn't noticed that she'd been crying. Jada just rubbed her eyes and Carla was still on her phone as she walked towards her daughter whose hair looked a right state.

"Awww If Jada's awake I'll let you go then..." Michelle said, "But promise me you'll Skype me later yeah?"

"Promise." Carla said, bending down and holding her arms out for Jada, "Bye Chelle." Carla pressed the end call button on her phone and picked Jada up as she smiled again and said, "Did you ave a good sleep Jada?"

"Yes Mummy." Jada nodded, she wrapped both arms around her mother's neck and held her close as she then said, "Jada and Simba sleep in Mummy bed."

"Yes you did." Carla said, nodding and kissing Jada on the cheek, cherishing this moment but also feeling guilty for depriving Peter of this wonderful experience too.

"Look Mummy…" Jada said, gasping and pointing towards the window, "It raining."

"It is raining…" Carla nodded, knowing how much Jada enjoyed being in the rain… a trait she definitely didn't inherit from her.

"Jump in muddy puddles!" Jada cried looking excited, Carla smiled at her and nodded once again as she said,

"Tell ya what, how about we get you bathed, get that messy hair washed…" Carla ruffled Jada's brown locks as she spoke and made her giggle as she then said, "Then we can go out, get some breakfast n you can jump in the puddles like Peppa."

"Yay!" Jada cried as her Mum put her down on the ground, she ran towards the bathroom without hesitation and within a few minutes she was in the bath, getting washed and ready for the day ahead.

Carla and Jada were out of the house by half past ten and by quarter to eleven Carla was parking in the car park of a french restaurant that was a favourite of her and Jada's.

Carla had got dressed in jeans and her leather jacket and was holding a black and silver umbrella as she and Jada made their way across the car park towards the little restaurant where they had been many times before.

Jada was wearing a bright yellow and white polka dot raincoat and a matching pair of shiny wellington boots. She made Carla walk around the restaurant to find some puddles almost three times before they could go inside.

As Jada jumped up and down in glee, with water splashing at her feet, Carla took out her phone and couldn't help but film it, she laughed as Jada started to sing as she jumped and once Jada was satisfied with how much jumping she had done and they were inside the restaurant, Carla contemplated maybe calling Peter there and then.

She thought now would be a good time to speak to him but as she ordered crepes for her n Jada's breakfast, she thought against it because she felt like she might make Peter feel upset because he wasn't out to breakfast with them... Carla wouldn't admit it but she was also nervous about calling Peter so it seemed as if she came up with lots of different reasons as to why she shouldn't call him just yet.

After breakfast and after some more jumping in the puddles, Carla took Jada Christmas tree and Christmas decoration shopping which had ended up taking longer than Carla had anticipated because everyone was out shopping on the last weekend before Christmas, eventually though, at around two in the afternoon, Carla and Jada were home and it was then that Carla realised that any phone call to Peter would probably be difficult and it really wouldn't be fair to keep him waiting much longer.

"Shall we call Daddy n Simon?" Carla asked Jada as they sat together on her dark red sofa.

"Yes!" Jada cried, looking ecstatic as Carla took a deep breath and picked up her mobile phone. "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy." Jada repeated, almost jumping up and down with Simba as Carla double tapped Peter's name on her phone.

Carla's heart pounded behind the grey top she had put on this morning as she held her phone in her hand, she put it on loud speaker so that the first thing Peter would hear would be Jada but after a few seconds there was still no answer.

"Daddy…" Jada said, bending forwards and practically pressing her head against the phone. "Hello…"

The phone continued to ring as Carla double-checked the time, she guessed that it was probably only around ten pm in Manchester.

"Mummy where Daddy?" Jada asked, frowning as his phone just continued to ring.

"He's coming…" Carla said, biting her lip in a concerned fashion but she was then taken to Peter's voicemail and so she quickly hung up and double tapped his name again. "Maybe he's asleep." She said but more for Jada's sake rather than actually believe that Peter might be asleep right now.

"Wakey wakey, Daddy." Jada shouted towards the phone as the ringing tone began again, Carla swallowed hard as she heard the tone go over and over again.

"Come on Peter… answer." She whispered worriedly, praying that Peter would pick up the phone any moment now.


	29. Day Time & Night Time

_**I'll spare you lot the apologies about how long it's been... I hope you are all still reading and let me know what you thought of this chapter.**_

 _ **:)**_

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Peter had never run so fast in his entire life.

With dripping wet hair and a towel around his damp waist, the short dash from his bathroom back to his sofa only took Peter a few mere seconds and yet somehow, it felt like it took a lot longer than that.

He rushed towards his sofa and frantically reached for his mobile phone in an instant.

Peter didn't even look at the screen to see who was calling either.

After all it could have been anyone on the other end, it could have been one of his worried family members as they had been contacting him non-stop since last night, just to check he was "okay" but Peter knew what they were really checking on and that was that he wasn't sat there in front of a bottle of alcohol.

Peter knew that his family meant well of course and he really did appreciate each and every phone call he received from his Dad or Tracy or Steve but in this moment, he just closed his eyes… closed his eyes and hoped that it wouldn't be a family member on the other end of his phone.

In fact he practically prayed that it would be someone else calling him.

"Hello…" He panted, the moment he tapped on the answer button, which was on the screen and raised his phone to his ear.

"Daddy!" Came Jada's adorable reply in the next second and it immediately made Peter well up.

It had only been twenty seven or so hours since he had last heard the sweet and innocent sound of his two-year-old daughters voice and yet his brown eyes were full of tears as he said,

"Jada… it's so good to hear your voice, Sorry I took so long to answer, Daddy was in the shower."

"Okay Daddy." Jada giggled, the sound of her precious laughter made a tear run down Peter's already damp cheek, he was so overwhelmed that at first all he could do was stand in the same spot in his living room and not move.

It wasn't long before Jada then began chatting away about how she had jumped in loads of muddy puddles on the way home and as she happily shared her experience, Peter sniffed hard and ran a free hand through his damp hair.

"Wow…" He said, taking a deep breath as he finally sat down on the sofa. "It sounds like you really had fun in the rain, darlin." Peter replied when Jada stopped talking, he swallowed hard, trying his very best to make it sound as if he wasn't crying because he didn't want his smart little girl to think anything was wrong with him, Peter then waited desperately to hear the sound of that other voice.

A voice that he was as anxious to hear as much as his daughter's one, a voice that belonged to someone who hadn't spoken since he had answered the phone because she was far too busy thinking about everything she and Peter had said to each other at the airport.

Peter's words echoed around her mind and as she pictured his face when she had left him stood there at Security, Carla couldn't help the tears that gathered behind her eyes.

"Mummy…" Peter then heard Jada say, almost as if she was able to read her Dad's mind all the way from Los Angeles. "Mummy talk to Daddy."

Jada stared up at her Mum with those bright green eyes of hers and also with a huge smile on her face. She then gave Carla a gentle push on the arm as she waited for her to finally say something and giggled as she said,

"Mummy not talking."

"Carla…" Peter eventually managed to get out after a moment of silence and hoping that Carla would be the one to talk first, he too was thinking about their emotional last conversation at the airport.

He was thinking about how he had told Carla that he loved her and it especially hurt because she hadn't actually said it back.

"Are you there love?" Peter asked, desperate to hear Carla say something, anything.

"Yeah…" She said quietly, her heart really starting to ache as she heard Peter call her _love._ She knew she couldn't put off talking for much longer and swallowed before she took a deep breath. "I'm… I'm ere."

"Oh… good." Peter replied, sounding relived and he wasn't the only one who was feeling that way either.

All sorts of horrible thoughts had flown through Carla's mind when Peter didn't answer his phone the first time around.

She'd had visions of him being sat with a bottle of whisky or brandy and Carla had already convinced herself that if Peter had of turned out to be sat drinking, it would have all been down to her decision to leave Weatherfield once again.

There was an awkward silence for a moment and at first, Carla was starting to regret that she had called but then as Jada began singing her own version of _Twinkle Twinkle Little Star_ down the phone, she knew that she was doing the right thing by finally calling Peter.

"That was beautiful singing Jada." Peter said, smiling from ear to ear even though he still had a large amount of tears in his eyes, He waited to see if Jada was going to start singing again but when she didn't, Peter bit his bottom lip and said, "Carla?"

"Yes?" She asked with wide eyes.

"Carla… you ave to know… all that stuff that happened at the airport, I really don't blame you for... leaving." Peter said with a lump in the back of his throat. "You don't ave to say anything either… I just wanted to say that n get it out the way, we really don't need to talk about this in front of Jada."

A tear spilled out of one of Carla's light eyes as she sat next to Jada and even though she knew that she should really say something, She was glad that Peter had said that she didn't have to.

There was absolutely nothing Carla could think to say to Peter that could possibly make him feel better and as she quickly wiped away the rogue tear, Peter then said,

"I'm just so glad you've called."

"This is the second call we've made…" Her voice sounded croaky, like she was genuinely upset, which she hated, she closed her eyes and shook her head as she quickly added, "It was just a moment before this one n we got your voicemail, I didn't just want to leave a message…" Carla didn't even let Peter speak because she was too nervous about what he was going to say next so she quickly started speaking again and said, "I'm sorry, Peter. I know we should ave called earlier than this I just…" Carla paused and tried not to let her self get too worked up in front of Jada who was practically beaming towards the phone. "Honestly, I just wasn't sure when the right time was."

"Carla…" Peter said in the next moment she took a breath, "Don't. You don't need to apologise." He suddenly felt very bad for thinking that Carla had forgotten about calling him, he could tell by the sound of her voice that she had only been putting it off because she found it just as difficult as he would have done had he been in her shoes. "You must ave been so busy what with unpacking n looking after Jada n stuff."

"Yeah…" Carla said quietly, wondering what Peter had been doing since she'd left him behind in Manchester, "We ave been busy aven't we Jada?" Jada nodded at her Mum and left both of her parents in silence as she leant towards the phone and then began babbling away about the Airplane she went on yesterday.

Jada was so busy talking about how she was a really good girl that it was rather okay that both Carla and Peter were now a little lost for words.

The truly ridiculous part of this excruciating situation that Carla and Peter were currently in was that there was so many different things that they could say to each other right now.

Had Carla and Peter had the courage they could probably talk to each other on that phone all night long, however now that there was five thousand plus miles between them, both Peter and Carla knew that it was far too late to start saying the sorts of things that they really should have said before now, things they should have said before yesterday… before a couple of weeks ago in fact.

"Jada and Mummy buyed a Christymas tree." Jada then said, once she had ran out of steam talking about the flight back to Los Angeles and once she had looked back at her Mum who was still sat in silence.

"Did you?" Peter asked, smiling sadly now because he knew how excited Jada probably was about Christmas and how excited she must be to get started on the tree that Carla had bought earlier.

He then remembered how enthusiastic she had been about decorating the tree he currently had in his flat and how she had made Carla turn a piece of tinsel into a snazzy belt.

Another tear ran down Peter's cheek as he turned to look at his own Christmas tree. It almost killed him to know that Jada and Carla wouldn't be around for Christmas this year and it was especially frustrating for Peter as at one point he had foolishly let himself imagine what Christmas with Jada, Simon and Carla might be like.

Peter imagined that Christmas Eve would have been spent getting those last minute presents sorted and watching old Christmas movies with his two children and Carla all squashed up on the sofa with him.

He imagined Simon telling Jada all about Father Christmas and helping her leave a mince pie and a carrot out for him and the reindeers.

Peter then imagined the both of them being up ridiculously early the next day and he imagined him and Carla both watching them open up all their presents and as Peter then imagined the four of them having a perfect Christmas dinner together in his flat, he felt himself start to well up again.

Peter decided he had to stop torturing himself because he knew it could lead into self destruction and he quickly turned back to look at his television. As he sniffed hard and tried not to cry again, it was then that he heard Jada asked,

"You there Daddy?"

"Yeah course." Peter said quickly, "I love talking to you and Mummy."

"And Simba." Jada said, looking down at Simba the lion and thrusting him towards the phone, she then began roaring into it pretending to be Simba for her Dad.

"Simba too, Hi Simba." Peter said, shaking his head and laughing silently at his daughter. Jada beamed after hearing her Dad talk to her most favourite toy and at first, Carla smiled at Jada too because she just couldn't help but return the delightful grin she saw but then, as Jada began trying to explain to her Dad all about the ginormous tree they had rested against the wall opposite her, Carla felt her smile begin to dramatically fade.

Hearing the sweet exchange between Jada and her Dad was starting to get more painful than Carla had ever imagined and she had to bite down on her bottom lip hard to make sure that she didn't cry out loud.

Carla had tried to prepare herself for this situation many times since leaving Weatherfield but thinking about what it might be like to talk to Peter again was nothing compared to what it actually felt like.

As Jada began talking about the Christmas Tree again, Carla looked over at it not sure she even wanted to start decorating it, as the last tree she had decorated was with Peter and Simon and as the pretty joyful memory of it circled her brain, Carla wondered just how much of that day Jada remembered.

Even though Carla had promised to talk about Weatherfield and everyone who lived there to Jada she knew that she couldn't remember to mention everything and she wondered which precious memories she might forget to tell Jada all about now they were back home.

"We gonna put a princess on the tree." Jada said, sitting up on her knees with Simba on her lap as she spoke into the phone, she then looked up at Carla who had tried to pay more attention to the conversation than she had done so far.

"Not a princess, baby, She's an Angel… a Christmas Angel." Carla said, looking over at the box of Christmas decorations she had bought whilst out earlier on, in it amongst the hanging decorations and tinsel, was a stunning Angel in a clear which Jada had picked out specially in the shop.

The Angel was made beautifully and had a white dress with glitter on it with matching wings. It had a simple yet lovely face and long blonde hair which Jada marvelled at before saying that she thought her Mummy should buy that one, Carla had been looking at a star for the top of the tree at first as she always deemed the type of Angels you could get to put on trees to be tacky but when she actually looked at the Angel her little girl had chosen, Carla knew she had to buy it.

"Oooh an Angel…" Peter said, nodding through his tears whilst goose bumps ran all over his bare torso, half to do with the fact that it was December and that he was sitting in his flat half naked and the other half to do with the fact that he was still overcome with emotions about Jada and Carla leaving. "Tell you what though Jada, if Mummy did need a Princess for the tree she could just put you on top couldn't she?"

"No Daddy." Jada giggled loudly and oh so sweetly, "That silly, I too big." Jada raised both arms in the air as she said too big and the sound of Peter's glorious laughter practically echoed through Carla's phone.

It was a laugh that was so infectious that Carla joined in and for a moment, it truly seemed like her, Peter and Jada were just three normal family members having a simple phone call, but as Carla bent down and kissed Jada softly on the head she couldn't help but feel like someone was missing from the conversation.

"Where's Simon?" Carla asked, licking her lips nervously because she wasn't exactly sure that Simon would want to talk to her right now.

"Simon!" Jada cried, looking wide eyed because she had been so caught up in talking to her Dad that she had totally forgotten about her big brother. "Daddy where Simon gone?"

"He's in his room." Peter said, standing up in his towel.

Simon had gone into his bedroom almost three hours ago having only had left it for meal times and for a bit in the afternoon when he and his Dad had visitors.

Breakfast time was the tensest time of the day for Peter and Simon. After a excruciating night of tossing and turning neither of them were in the mood for heavy conversation. They both buttered toast in silence and any conversation that they miraculously managed to have had seemed strained.

Even though both Simon and Peter knew that the other had probably been up all night in pain, neither of them knew just what to say to comfort the other as they were both in the same boat.

"Si…" Peter said, gently knocking on Simon's bedroom door, whilst Carla and Jada sat on the other end of the phone. He waited for a moment, just in case Simon went to answer and then he softly pushed the door open to find that Simon was sprawled across his bed, on his back with his eyes closed.

Simon had a headphone in each ear and as Peter walked closer to his son's bed, he heard the sounds of deep breathing over the soft music that came from the headphones and it was clear that Simon had managed to fall asleep.

"Peter." Carla said, leaning even closer to the phone after a bit of silence from Peter's end, "Is everythin alright?"

"Si's just asleep that's all." Peter said, quietly, hearing the sound of panic in Carla's voice, he knew things weren't exactly alright and was sure they probably wouldn't be alright for the longest time but he still went and said, "Everything's fine."

Peter then pondered on whether to wake Simon up or not because he knew that his son desperately needed this rest but he also knew that his son would want to speak to his sister and Carla as well and that he had also been anticipating a phone call from them all day.

"Oh… well don't wake him, it must be late n he's got school tomorrow." Carla said, shaking her head although she knew full well that Peter wouldn't be able to see her to do so, "I knew I should have called earlier." She sighed feeling guilty and shook her head in disappointment as an eager Jada suddenly slid off the sofa and walked over to a white toy chest that was in one corner of the room, she began delving into it as Carla then said, "I'm so sorry Peter, I should ave called a few hours ago at least."

"No…" He whispered, "Don't, Si's probably been asleep for ages anyway, he were up all night…" Peter trailed off knowing that saying all of this would probably make Carla feel even worse about the situation and then he shut his eyes, mentally cursing him self for being so stupid.

"How about you?" Carla asked, watching Jada who was still sat in front of a group of her toys, looking as if she was trying to find something. "How did you sleep?"

"Erm…" Peter said, turning and walking out of Simon's bedroom as quietly as he could, he gently shut the door behind him as Carla then said,

"Be honest with me Peter… please." Carla knew full well that Peter was about to pretend as if he'd had a perfect night of sleep just so that she didn't have to feel bad and she continued to watch Jada whilst she waited patiently for Peter to answer her.

"I didn't sleep well... not at all…" Peter said awkwardly, knowing this wasn't going to make the situation better at all but also wanting to respect Carla's wishes for him to be honest. "But please don't blame yourself."

"Oh yeah?" Carla said with another sigh, "Who should I blame eh?" She knew that all of this hurt and upset was all down to her and she couldn't help but wonder if she really did make a bad decision by choosing to return to California.

"No one." Peter said quietly and adamantly, "It's just… the way things are right now that's all… I'm sure we'll get used to it n I'm sure your night in L.A wasn't all fine n dandy, was it?"

"No…" Carla said, unable to not smile as Jada triumphantly pulled out the microphone that Peter had bought her for her birthday,from the box. Jada turned the microphone on and started singing into it as she began scrambling through the box once again. "I was up for most of it too… n not because of jetlag either."

Another silence came and it was Peter who decided that he'd try to slightly change the subject before the deafening silence lasted too long, so he quickly asked,

"How's LA then?" Carla took a look out of her very wide glass window, it was still pouring with rain and she couldn't help but shake her head in disbelief because the weather truly seemed to match her mood.

"It's alright, I spose." Carla eventually said, "It's bucketing down like there's no tomorrow, so much for being in the sunshine eh? I reckon that comment Chelle made before we left for the airport has jinxed us." Jada suddenly stood up from her toy chest with a grin and now she had a pair of pink sunglasses in hand along with her new microphone, which currently had blue and purple lights flashing from it.

"Mummy look." Jada called, putting the microphone down by her feet next to Simba before placing the pink sunglasses on her face only she'd done it wrong so the sunglasses were comically upside down.

"Baby you've got them on wrong." Carla said, shaking her head amused as Jada picked the microphone back up and began singing into it loudly.

As Jada began to belt out a rather hilarious rendition of _Baa Baa Black Sheep,_ Carla laughed once more as the microphone made Jada's voice echo robotically around her living room.

"Can you hear that?" Carla asked Peter, "I still can't believe you bought the crazy kid a microphone, as if she needs one, Jada's loud enough as it is."

"That is true… I mean she is your daughter after all." Peter said, grinning as he heard the sounds of Jada's singing getting louder because she had come back to the sofa, with her upside sunglasses on and her microphone in hand.

"Oi!" Carla said, as Jada then began swaying from side to side, Carla heard Peter's light chuckle on the other end of the phone whilst Jada changed her song choice to _Miss Polly Had A Dolly_ and somehow, Jada's dramatic singing plus more laughter made both Carla and Peter feel at ease.

Slowly but surely the conversation between them started to feel more like an old one they might have had.

Peter asked Carla how she had found the long flight back to California and she spoke about it freely although she left the part out about her being in tears for a lot of it of course.

Carla then asked Peter what he had done throughout his day and he explained about Ken and everyone else coming over although he left the part about how he and Simon had barley spoken.

Then Peter asked what Carla might do with the rest of her day and she explained that Susie was going to come over again and that maybe would decorate the tree they had just bought.

In between these spontaneous conversations, Jada sang songs and was involved in some of the chitchat and time seemed to fly by quicker than either Peter and Carla had realised.

"It's a shame Simon's asleep, he's missing all your lovely singing." Peter said once Jada sat down on the sofa again to take a break from her songs, which had recently ventured into the Disney Genre.

"Simon sleeping... wake him up Daddy." Jada said, looking out the window and even though it was still raining where she was, Jada knew that it was daytime, "It not night time."

"It is where Daddy and Simon are." Carla explained, "It's night time n it's very late, Simon's in bed, he has to go to school tomorrow, we'll speak to him tomorrow I promise." Jada nodded but she looked confused at the thought of it being night time and day time at the same time, she still had her bright pink sunglasses on upside down as Carla said, "It's okay if we call you tomorrow right, Peter?"

"Of course, as long as you're not busy." Peter replied, looking at the clock and seeing that it was almost eleven pm, hating the fact that it seemed like this conversation was maybe coming to an end.

"Too busy to talk to you and Simon? Of course not, We'll call in the mornin… our morning…" Carla said, chewing on her thumbnail as Jada sat next to her, "So your time it will maybe be around four, five, if that's alright."

"Sounds perfect." Peter said, nodding although perfect would be to stay on the phone all night to Carla and Jada… Actually perfect would actually be having Carla and Jada with him in Manchester right now but Peter knew that would never happen, so he sighed and then said, "I'll tell Si in the morning, it will give him something to look forward too during his second last day of school."

"Okay..." Carla said, as she looked down dejectedly, thinking about Simon having to go to school tomorrow with all of this on his plate.

"Mummy put Daddy face on." Jada said as she stabbed a finger at the screen which was black and it was then that Carla realised Jada wanted to video call her Dad so she could see him face to face.

"We're going to call Daddy back tomorrow Jada… I'll do it then..." Carla began, not sure if she was quite ready to see Peter again… even if it was through a phone screen.

"No Mummy now." Jada wined, poking at the phone again and then standing up on the sofa with a frown on her face.

"Jada we'll see Daddy and Simon tomorrow." Carla said, shaking her head and moving the phone away from her adamant daughter, who still looked entertaining with her upside down shades on.

"Now!" Jada cried, showing off a bossy temper that she had definitely got from her mother.

"It's alright Jada…" Peter said, "It's probably a good idea that we talk later, I've just got out the shower so I'm not wearing any clothes, you don't want to end up seeing Daddy naked do ya?" This question changed Jada's mood considerably and she giggled again before she sat down. She picked up her microphone with a smile on her face as Carla shook her head and said,

"Honestly Jada, you look ridiculous, you should see her Peter... I'm gonna send you a picture of her."

"Make sure you do." Peter said, thankfully "Can't wait to see it."

"Right well…" Carla began, her voice sounding slightly croaky again as she prepared to hang up on Peter, "I guess we'll... speak tomorrow then… Tell Simon and everyone I said Hi."

"Will do." Peter said, nodding as he sat alone on his sofa, he smiled sadly to himself whilst Carla replied,

"Okay, Jada say goodbye to Daddy."

"See later Daddy." Jada said, leaning towards the phone and then kissing it.

"Bye Jada." Peter said heartfelt, he paused for a slight moment before he then said, "Bye Carla, thanks for calling."

"Bye Peter... n don't mention it." Carla said quietly and then that was it.

She very quickly pressed the end call button before she lingered on the phone for too long because she knew hanging about would only make things worse. She took a deep breath before looking at Jada and said,

"Right stand up Jada let's take a picture of you for Daddy." Jada stood up with her microphone in hand and her upside down sunglasses still on and smiled her most cheesy smile whilst her Mum took a few photos. Carla swiftly sent them to Peter and hoped that he would appreciate the fact that she had sent a few different ones to him and then she put her phone down next to her on the sofa. She kept quiet for a moment, thinking about the phone call she and Jada had just had with Peter.

In Weatherfield, he received his photos within the same minute as Carla had sent them and he grinned widely as he swiped through them all, he was pleased to see that Jada was so happy in Los Angeles and as he went back and forth he simultaneously had the same thought as Carla.

That now they'd had that first awkward call out the way... now that their first day without each other was out of the way... maybe things would start to get better.


	30. Your Call

**What can I say... Life has been pretty hectic as of late and I just haven't had the time to update.**

 **Long story short, I have a new role at work which whilst very rewarding is very very time consuming, I've also gone on a few trips and spent time with family and friends so I've not had time to sit down and write until recently... I do plan on updating my other fics and with the utterly AMAZING news that Alison King is returning to Corrie of course I have so many ideas (To add to the ones I had before)**

 **I hope there are still people who want to continue reading this story and if you do read, let me know your thoughts in a review :)**

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"Jada… if you want to speak to Daddy and Simon then ya better come n sit ere…" Carla called from the kitchen. She craned her neck to look for her daughter who had been in the living room and in middle of playing with her toys, "Jada…" Carla added, raising her eyebrows, "Come on!"

Eventually Jada walked towards the kitchen pulling Simba and Ariel the mermaid along with her, she yawned as she walked and was still wearing her bright pink pyjamas on with a messy head of brown hair as her mother leant down and picked her up.

Jada's messy hair was a lot to do with the fact that she had spent another night in her Mother's bed, not only that but Jada had spent the night tossing and turning as well although she wasn't the only one who was restless.

Both Carla and Jada couldn't quite drift off into a deep enough sleep last night which resulted in them both spending a good few hours sharing storybooks and watching a few episodes of some of Jada's favourite TV shows to pass the time.

At the beginning Carla told herself that this was all due to jetlag… she told herself that she and Jada were just readjusting to life back in America but deep down Carla knew that the reason she was awake was to do with something else… or someone else.

In the end both Carla and Jada had managed to properly fall asleep at three am but not for very long as Jada awoke at six forty am and Carla could tell by the moment she felt her two year old practically bounce on her head, that Jada was wide awake and there was no way she'd get her back to sleep, so she caved and let Jada get up and out of bed.

Jada went to play in the living room whilst Carla turned on her laptop and started to go through a whole load of unread emails. Her inbox was full of the usual ones like discount deals from her favourite online shops but then there were a lot of work related ones, including a particularly long one from her boss, detailing all the new responsibilities that Carla would be taking on once she returned to work.

The email also asked if Carla could pop into the office at some point on Monday to discuss everything further and also to ask if she would be ready to start work again on the twentieth of December which was actually tomorrow.

As she read through the email, Carla bit her lip anxiously and couldn't help but wonder if she had made the right decision accepting a new job after all. The extra and brand new responsibilities Carla was expected to take on, meant she'd be at work for more hours in the day and also that Carla would have to work on Friday's too instead of just the first four days of the week like she had done since first getting the job a year ago.

Carla sighed as she looked away from her computer screen and over at Jada instead who was sat amongst many of her toys. She was once again was wearing the pair of pink sunglasses and was hilariously babbling away at her collection of animals with a hand on her hip.

Carla smiled at the sight of a precocious Jada sat there almost telling off her toys for something they might have done and then she couldn't help sigh because she now felt incredibly guilty for saying yes to a new position at work.

A new position at work meant that Carla and Jada wouldn't have their special Fridays together anymore.

Normally, on a Friday, Carla and Jada would start their day off with a lay in, then Jada would have a swimming class at eleven thirty am. Jada adored her swimming lessons and Carla equally adored watching them and would sometimes join Jada in the water for a little play after she was done. After swimming Carla and Jada would get lunch and go down to the beach or to one of Jada's favourite playgrounds, as it would be emptier on a Friday than it would be on the weekend.

Carla was well aware that she and Jada could still have the weekends to spend time together but she was still majorly disheartened to think about having one less day a week with Jada especially when she thought about the fact that she'd be working an extra hour a day too.

Before going back to Manchester, Carla used to collect Jada from nursery at four pm or four thirty at the latest but her new role at work meant that she wouldn't be leaving work until five pm which meant she'd probably be arriving to collect Jada at five thirty and even though it was only an hour or so, Carla knew that hour she couldn't spend with Jada would be sorely missed.

After a few more re-reads of the email from her boss, Carla closed her messages and set about making some breakfast, She didn't feel much like eating at all this morning because she felt like she had a knot in her tummy due to her new job and of course due to not being in Manchester anymore.

Jada however, must have been hungry so Carla made some toast and sliced up some of Jada's favourite fruits before making her self a very strong and much needed coffee and then calling Jada over.

"Sit nicely okay Jada... Mummy's trusting you up ere…" Carla said to Jada as she gently sat her down and onto one of the white stools that were placed in front of a very large, marble, Kitchen Island. Carla then sat down on her own stool whilst Jada asked her,

"Where Daddy and Simon?" She frowned as she peered at the laptop screen in front of her, which now had Carla's screensaver on show instead of her emails. Jada then looked back at her Mum who reached over for the plate of buttery toast and also the plate of freshly prepared fruit said,

"I'm going to call them in a minute… but before I do that you need eat some breakfast first, little monkey." Carla poked Jada's nose gently and smiled as she spoke and as Jada giggled silently, Carla then added, "I want to make sure that Simon is already home from school before we call or he will be sad that he missed us…"

It was almost eight am in California where Carla and Jada currently were which meant that where Peter and Simon was, it was almost four pm and what were Peter and Simon doing exactly?

Well they were sat in their living room with Simon's laptop on the coffee table, it was already turned on and had been waiting for the Skype app to start ringing for almost forty five minutes now.

Simon had been home from school since three thirty five, having rushed out as soon as he could and when he had walked through his front door, Simon saw that his Dad was waiting with his computer already switched on.

"How was your day?" Peter soon asked and Simon knew that he could only really answer his Dad by saying,

"It were alright."

"Really?" Peter asked, watching his son who kicked off his battered school shoes and sighed before taking off his coat.

"Yeah…" Simon nodded vaguely, knowing that if he said anything else about his day at school that it would only make his Dad feel worse about everything and considering that Peter still felt absolutely wretched about Carla and Jada leaving them on Saturday, worse was definitely not a situation that Simon wanted.

In reality Simon's day at school hadn't been alright, in fact it had been downright miserable and it had been like that from the moment he had got there at just gone nine am.

Only Simon's close friends knew a lot about his home life and as far as Simon knew, only his close friends were aware that he'd had Carla and his little sister Jada living with him for the past few weeks.

Simon's close friends were also aware that Carla and Jada had been scheduled to fly home on Saturday and from the moment they had seen their friend, miserably walk through the school gates, they knew that his Step Mother and sister must gone through with it and gone home.

They had heard Simon once say that he hoped his Stepmother wouldn't go and that she might change her mind but it was clear by the down and depressed look on Simon's face that Carla really had left Manchester and because of this, Simon's friends weren't one hundred per cent sure how to act around him which led to them being awkward and actually annoying Simon to the point where he just walked away from the at break times so he could be alone.

To add to that, Simon still felt exhausted and couldn't concentrate in any of his lessons because of how tired he felt but it wasn't just Simon's lack of sleep that had his mind wondering during class.

Simon was also highly distracted because he was concerned about what his Dad might be doing whilst he was at school. Simon couldn't help but worry that whilst he was sat there, endlessly staring at the white board, that his Dad might be staring at a bottle of alcohol but of course, Simon would never ever admit any of this to his Dad.

Simon would never want his Dad to feel to blame for him not listening at school and also for him ending up with a detention due not paying attention during maths… a detention which was supposed to be right after school at three thirty and a detention which Simon purposely didn't go to because for one, he couldn't be bothered, for two and most importantly because his Dad had told him that Carla was going to be calling after school and he especially didn't want to miss that.

"You sure School was alright, kid?" Peter asked, watching Simon who had been staring at the TV in silence for a while now which was odd because Peter had been in the middle of watching a TV show that Simon normally detested.

"Yeah… I said so didn't I?" Simon said, looking at his Dad as nonchalantly as he could, he then paused slightly, wondering maybe a teacher or someone had phoned his Dad and told him about how distracted he had been but as Peter gave him a soft yet slightly worried smile with a nod, Simon knew this couldn't have been the case.

"I know you did…" Peter began, "It's just you've been really quiet since you got back that's all… it's not like you."

"I'm… I'm alright Dad… I just don't ave much to say… nothing really happens this close to the holidays, the teachers just bang on n on about next year n what our homework is gonna be... Just stuff like that." Simon said, taking a deep breath, "How was your day?" He then asked, watching his Dad closely and carefully because he was sure his Dad was about to lie, just like he had done himself.

"Rubbish." Peter said shrugging, answering the question about his day a little more honestly than his son had done, although the word rubbish was definitely not a word negative enough to describe how Peter's day had been.

The morning with Simon hadn't been so bad because Peter had got to tell him all about his phone call with Jada and Carla last night and when Peter told Simon that Carla had said she would phone after school, Peter was extremely pleased to see a smile slowly appear on his son's face.

A smile from Simon seemed like it was going to be a rare feature these days.

It was once Simon left for school that the problems begun for Peter, He went into his bathroom to have a shower and get himself ready for his first Monday in a while without Jada and Carla around.

Whilst searching for a new tube of toothpaste, Peter quickly came across Jada's Disney princess toothpaste that had accidently been left behind instead.

Peter was instantly reminded of the battle that he'd had trying to get Jada to brush her teeth that first night she stayed over and Peter remembered how much he had tried to trick Jada into opening her mouth for long enough so that he could quickly poke her little pink toothbrush in there.

He had tried about four times to do this before Carla appeared, she gave Jada a rather stern look and suddenly Jada was stood brushing her own teeth, knowing she was not going to get away with being cheeky for much longer now that her Mother was in the room.

Peter stood in the bathroom clutching Jada's fruity tasting toothpaste for a good few minutes with tears in his eyes before he knew that he had to try and get on with his day.

He quickly sorted himself out and went downstairs to help Tracy in her second hand shop… not that she needed help of course as the shop didn't get many customers but still, Peter felt that he should keep himself busy.

Of course, the shop didn't really get busy at all and when someone did come in, it was someone that knew Peter and his current situation.

Some would keep quiet and give Peter a look of pity but there were a few who'd tactlessly say that they heard about Carla leaving and that they were sorry.

A tired, fed up and miserable Peter just nodded politely at them and chose to ignore their comments, mainly because he knew that they meant well and also because simply didn't have the energy to do anything else.

"Dad?" Simon said, a little louder than before because his Dad now looked lost in thought, "What did you do today then?"

"Sorry Si…" Peter said quickly, shaking his head before sighing and saying, "I were miles away..." He sniffed before adding, "I helped Tracy out downstairs… but you know what it's like in there, empty most of the time and when it's not, it's just full of people who ave no idea what they want n they probably only buy something cause they feel bad for not spending anything… I honestly ave no idea how it's still open." Simon chuckled at his Dad who had the smallest hint of a smirk on his face whilst he continued to talk about the second hand shop that they lived above. "Your Auntie Tracy hoped that because it was Christmas the customers would all fly in and buy everything on her shelves… turns out it's the opposite I reckon."

"Yeah…" Simon nodded, "I guess people tend to spend more at Christmas." Peter nodded along with his son and then diverted his gaze over to the Christmas tree where there were a few piles of presents underneath it. Simon followed his Dad's gaze and couldn't help but sigh as she saw a small selection of gifts which were obviously from Carla and Jada because they were not wrapped in the same paper his Dad had bought in town a few weeks ago.

"Speaking of Christmas... Your Granddad has invited us over to stay on Christmas Eve…" Peter said quietly, Simon turned to him with a slightly apprehensive look on his face and it was clear to Peter that Simon wasn't too fond of this idea at all. "I'm not quite sure about it either If I'm honest… Spending all that time with Tracy n Amy will probably be a right chore…" Simon smirked this time and nodded at his Dad who then continued, "But… I do think it might help if we're around everyone… If we ave a small distraction from the fact that your sister n Carla aren't ere… maybe Christmas won't be so bad after all…"

"I guess…" Simon unsurely replied, shrugging a little because he wasn't sure that anything could distract him from the fact that he almost had a nice and normal family Christmas for once.

"Let's just play it by ear eh?" Peter said, "Let's see how we feel in a few days n make a proper decision then okay?" Simon was just about to nod and say yes to his Dad when a ringing sound suddenly came from his laptop, it made them both jump into action.

Simon grabbed the remote control and muted the TV whilst Peter leant forwards and answered the call he and Simon had both been waiting for. Within seconds both Jada and Carla appeared on his laptop screen and before Peter and Simon knew it, Jada was waving at them both wildly and was calling,

"Daddy, Simon!"

"Hi Jada!" Simon said with a warm smile on his face, Peter also said Hello and smiled brightly at his daughter and Carla too. "Hi Carla." He said with his heart racing.

"Hi Simon…" Carla said brightly, smiling at him in a fond fashion, she then paused slightly before she got out, "Hi Peter."

"I eat breakfast!" Jada cried, she had a piece of toast in hand and she waved it at the laptop screen so her Dad and brother could see that she really was eating her breakfast, Carla laughed at her daughter but kept her eyes permanently fixed on the screen, trying to see if she could work out what kind of day Peter and Simon had had just by their faces.

They both had tired eyes but their bright smiles could fool anyone into thinking that their days had been successful and as Peter told Jada that she looked like she was being a good girl for her Mummy, Carla couldn't help but suddenly ask them both,

"So how ave you two been?"

She watched carefully as Peter and Simon took a quick glance at each other before they simultaneously came out with,

"Okay."

"Okay?" Carla said, leaning forward slightly so she could see both Peter and Simon even closer, "What does that mean exactly? How were school Si?"

"It were boring." Simon nodded, not even daring to look at his Dad again because he was sure that his Dad would be able to work out that he was lying. "End of term always is."

"Really?" Carla said, putting her head on one side whilst Jada took some more of her buttery toast, "I would ave thought that the last few days of school would ave been great, what with everyone being excited for Christmas n stuff."

"Yeah… they're not." Simon said shaking his head.

"Oh… right." Carla said, biting her lip. There was a small silence before Jada started speaking again and as she started to ask her Dad where he was, Carla felt the knot in her stomach tighten. She knew that Jada still didn't really understand where she currently was in relation to her Dad and her Brother and as Jada turned to her and asked,

"Mummy, Daddy and Simon come?" Carla felt even worse than she had done before.

"Erm… no baby." Carla had to say, she bit her lip again but before she could say anymore Peter changed the subject by asking Jada if she was excited for Christmas.

* * *

After an hour of slightly tense but also rather wonderful conversation, which for the most part flowed freely, Carla knew it was soon time for her to hang up. It had to happen at some time and as she was due to visit her boss at sometime this morning, she knew now was probably the best time to do it.

"Right… I'm sorry... but we're going to ave to leave it ere… I'm afraid." Carla said, swallowing after she spoke and feeling guilty because it really felt as if she called all the shots here. "I ave to get Jada bathed n ready..."

"Oh…" Peter said, feeling as if he'd only just started talking to Jada but all the while knowing that it really had been just over an hour since the call had started, he heard Jada sing, seen her dance, met some of her other toys and read her a story during that time.

"Why where are you going?" Simon asked rather abruptly. He hadn't meant to sound rude of course he was just curious to see what Jada and Carla were going to do with their day.

"I ave to pop into the office…" Carla began, "Just to chat to me boss as I'm supposed to be starting tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Both Peter and Simon said at the same time.

"Yeah…" Carla said slightly annoyed by their tone because to her it sounded as if Peter and Simon didn't think she should be returning to work so soon. "That's why I had to come back ere so soon… otherwise I maybe could ave stayed in Weatherfield a bit longer."

"What's going to happen with Jada then?" Simon asked, looking at his Dad who already had tears in his brown eyes because it was soon time to say goodbye.

"Well she'll come with me today as it's just a chat… n tomorrow she's going back to her Nursery... It's not ideal of course…" Carla paused thinking about how close it was to Christmas and how she would probably like to look after Jada more over the next few days.

As much of a career woman that Carla was, she really cherished the days where she could just hang out with Jada, now more than ever.

"It's just I really ave to get that contract signed… n there's a whole load of stuff that needs sorting out, not to mention stuff I ave to catch up on due to the fact I've been gone for so long." Carla explained anxiously.

"We're not judging you…" Peter said quickly, knowing that Carla was mentally putting herself down for not being able to look after Jada everyday, Peter didn't want her to think that he and Simon were sat there thinking badly of her and then added, "We understand."

"Jada…" Carla said, smiling appreciatively at Peter before turning to Jada who was sat with her last piece of toast in hand, "Tomorrow, Mummy's going to take you back to Butterflies... Remember Butterflies, The Caterpillar room where you play?" Jada nodded although she didn't look too convincing as she almost had a frown on her face whilst she nodded, as if she was trying hard to remember but couldn't. "Would you like that? To go n play with all your friends again… I bet they've missed you lots…" Jada sat for a moment in silence, looking as if she was really thinking what her mother had just said to her over and when she didn't answer after a few seconds, Carla added, "Remember Rochelle, Marco… Katie…" Carla thought the actual mention of some Jada's little buddies from Butterflies Day Care would make her nod excitedly and say yes but it only did half of those things.

Jada nodded at her Mum but she didn't look at all excited, instead picked up another bit of toast as Carla glanced at the screen and saw a slightly concerned Peter and Simon looking back at her.

"Maybe I'll pop in there later…" Carla said with a sad sigh, "Take Jada for a quick visit n let em know that she'll be back properly tomorrow."

"That sounds like a good idea." Peter said, nodding and smiling at Carla in the best way that he could, She nodded back although she was at all sure it was a good idea at all… coming back to Los Angeles, the new job… any of it.

"Okay…" She said taking a deep breath, "Well I'll let you two get on with your evening n I'll give you a call soon… Maybe tomorrow? Or later if you're both still awake."

"Please do." Peter said nodding enthusiatically as Simon shuffled uncomfortably on the sofa next to him.

"Jada…" Carla said, giving her daughter a soft and gentle nudge, "Say goodbye to Daddy n Simon now, we'll speak to them again soon."

"Bye Daddy!" Jada cried, waving at the screen with a huge smile on her face.

"And Simon." Carla said, pointing at the screen and at Simon who looked as if he might be on the verge of tears at any given moment.

"Bye Simon!" Jada said, doing a little dance for her brother where she wiggled her arms from side to side. Simon couldn't help but laugh at this and as he waved goodbye to his little sister he heard his Dad say,

"Bye Bye Princess, Daddy loves you okay?"

"Love you Daddy." Jada said, actually leaning all the way forward and kissing the laptop screen. Carla sniffed hard and tried her absolute hardest not to cry in front of Jada who then kissed the spot where Simon was also on screen too.

"Bye Carla." Said Simon who waved and as she waved back, Peter took a deep breath and also said,

"Goodbye Carla, I hope you both a good day today."

"Thanks Peter." Carla said, giving him a sad smile, she lingered for a moment and wondered if she should just end the call but for some reason she just couldn't reach over to the laptop and click on the end call symbol.

"Be good for Mummy, Jada." Peter then said, knowing that it must be hard for Carla to suddenly be a single parent again, as Jada nodded and said,

"I good girl!" Carla got up off the stool she was sat on and with her eyebrows raised she said,

"Good Girl? Yeah, We'll see about that shall we?" She ruffled the messy hair on Jada's head before saying, "Let's get you in the bath… Do ya want to press the button on the computer?"

"Yes." Jada said, nodding excitedly and making Carla take a sigh of relief because that meant that she wouldn't have to press the button herself and end the conversation between them, Peter and Simon.

"Go on then…" Carla said, pointing to the button that Jada would need to click on.

"Bye Jada." Peter and Simon both called out and the last thing they saw on screen, was Carla waving again whilst Jada leant forward to press the button, before the call was then ended.

There was an unbearable moment of silence between Peter and Simon.

One where they both thought about the conversation they'd just had and how it had meant the world to them.

It was Peter who eventually spoke first, he cleared his throat, turned his body to face Simon and quietly asked him,

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah." Simon gruffly replied, taking a deep breath and shaking his head.

"You sure?" Peter asked, knowing that his son wasn't fine, especially when a rouge tear dribbled down his cheek.

"I said so." Simon said, rapidly wiping the tear from his check, then he shook his head and said, "It's not fair."

"Si…" Peter began, letting out a little sigh because he had a feeling that something like this was going to happen.

"It's not!" Simon almost cried, he took a quick breath to help calm himself down before he then said, "Carla's sending Jada to nursery to spend her days with people she doesn't even know when she could be ere with us."

"That's not on, Simon." Peter said, shaking his head adamantly, "That's not fair at all Carla has to work, you know that… even if Jada was still ere we both ave jobs, she'd ave to go somewhere n besides… she's been going to that Nursery since she were what? Eleven months, she knows the people there."

"Yeah but she's been gone for ages… like three weeks, she's only little, she might not even remember it properly." Simon said, wiping his face again.

"Maybe…" Peter began, wondering if Simon was right and Jada might have forgotten what life was like in her nursery, "But still… Jada's in the best place for her right now… with her Mother." Simon shook his head slowly and clenched his fists as Peter moved closer and then said, "I'm sorry, Simon. I really am… I wish they were still ere… I really do, it's my fault n I wouldn't blame you if you hated me for it."

"I don't hate you Dad…" Simon said quietly, sniffing and looking at his Dad as if he truly meant it. "It's not your fault either… I just… I just think it's so.. unfair… Carla should be ere… so should Jada."

"It is unfair…" Peter nodded slowly, leaning back slightly and knowing that there was nothing he could say to his son to make him feel better. "But that's the way life is, mate."

"That's the way life is?" Simon replied, screwing up his face, "Is that all you ave to say?"

"Simon I don't know what you want me to say?" Peter said shrugging, "I really don't, nothing I say is gonna bring em back..." Simon took one last look at his Dad with angst and then got up off the sofa, as he stormed towards his bedroom, Peter got up too and called after him saying, "Si, Where are you going?"

"To my room obviously!" Simon shouted back and before Peter could say anything, the door to Simon's bedroom slammed shut with a loud bang. Peter knew that Simon was only a teenager and shouldn't have to deal with this sort of situation so he didn't blame him for his outburst at all, Instead he gave him some time alone to calm down.

Instead he wondered into the kitchen and decided that he should set about making some dinner for them both.

Meanwhile Carla was in her bathroom with an undressed Jada, helping her into the bath she had just run, Jada was in her element once in the water, she smiled and splashed like she didn't have a care in the world whilst her mother just got more and more nervous about what the rest of her day would be like.

She wasn't sure how she was going to feel walking back into her office again and she wasn't sure how Jada would feel walking back into her Nursery again, after all three weeks was a long time for a two year old.

* * *

"Come on then… Let's go darlin…" Carla said, an hour later once she and Jada were dressed and ready to leave the house.

Jada now had her brown hair brushed into a sweet little pony tail and was wearing a pair of light blue jeans with simple black T-Shirt, However these clothes were underneath her yellow polka dot rain coat as it was raining once again.

Carla was wearing all black and as she and Jada walked outside their front door, Jada looked up at her mother and said,

"Where we go Mummy?"

"We're going to Mummy's office." Carla said, closing the door and taking Jada's hand, "I ave to sort a few things out n after that, we'll go and see everyone at Butterflies." Jada nodded at her Mum and clung onto her hand as they approached the lift, she had been to Carla's office many times in the past, normally on a Friday when sometimes Carla would have to quickly pop in and sort something out but this time, when Jada walked into the very large and extremely tall building that was her Mum's workplace, she tightened her grip on her Mum's hand as if she was suddenly scared.

"It's alright, Jada." Carla said softly, bending down and hoisting Jada up, "We won't be ere long."

As Carla proceeded to make her way through the entrance of the tall building, which was decked out with glamorous furniture, She started to feel nervous again. This was a feeling Carla had never experienced whilst at work, in fact she'd always been pretty confident since starting at the company and as they passed the front desk, she had to take a pretty deep breath because this was it… slowly but surely life was supposedly going back to normal.

"Hi Miss Connor! Hey Jada!" A loud voice said, it came from a pretty red head who was sat at the reception desk as Carla walked past with Jada, who just smiled in her Mum's arms but didn't wave.

"Hi Amanda." Carla said, smiling at the receptionist in front of her and looking at Jada. "Say Hi to Amanda, Jada." Jada waved shyly as if she was meeting a stranger for the first time although she'd met Amanda plenty of times before.

"Awww, I know it's only been a few weeks but I think she's grown." Amanda said, standing up, she reached over and gave Jada a gentle pat on the back before saying, "Mr Mearson said you'd be back, How was England?"

"Yeah…" Carla nodded, smiling falsely and knowing that there wouldn't really be any other acceptable answer than, "It were great thanks."

"Bet your glad to be back to the warm whether… if you ignore the rain that is." Amanda said, smiling at Carla because she was genuinely pleased to see her.

"Yeah… but Jada likes the rain don't you baby?" Carla said, giving Jada a little wiggle. Jada nodded but kept quiet as she rested a head on her Mum's shoulder. "Right… well I'm gonna head upstairs n speak to the man in charge, I'll come back down for a proper chat after."

"Alright then…" Amanda said, nodding and flicking some of her red hair over her shoulder, "We're all super excited to have you back."

"Thanks Amanda." Carla said, nodding at the receptionist appreciatively and then beginning to walk past the large white reception desk and over to the lifts. She let Jada down to press the button and as the lift doors opened, Jada looked up at her Mum and said,

"Mummy we going up?"

"Yes we are…" Carla said, taking Jada's hand and pulling her into the lift with her, "We need to go all the way to the top, can you press that button for me please?" Carla pointed at a button for Jada to press and as she did so, a couple of other people entered the lift also.

These were people who worked with Carla and as they shared their joy in seeing her again, Jada stayed quiet and clung onto her Mum's hand.

By the time Carla and Jada had made it to the top floor of the vast building, they had said Hello to many different people that Carla didn't feel so nervous anymore seeing as she had seen that so many people seemed to be glad to have her back in the building.

Upon stepping out of the lift, Carla was greeted by her Mellie, who was assistant to the head of the company and Mellie actually walked over and hugged both Carla and Jada tight. After their brief chit chat, Carla was very quickly ushered into her boss' office.

A tall, dark haired man who was in his early fifties and who was dressed in a sharp suit, stood up from his desk and welcomed Carla back as she walked into his office and he was the only person who Jada actually said a proper Hello to.

After the initial welcome, the inevitable questions about how Manchester was. how both Carla and Jada were feeling and what the weather was like, Mr Mearson whose first name was Jesse, sat back down in his chair and said,

"So… did you read all my emails then? I've sent you a few over the past few days regarding the role I want you to take on."

"Yes." Carla said, taking off her leather jacket and then sitting down in the chair that was in front of Jesse's desk. "I've read em all a few times actually." She then pulled Jada up and onto her lap and said, "I'm really thankful for the opportunity but… well I gotta be honest… I'm not sure about the extra hours… Me n Jada just got back ere n I'm not sure if I can spend more time away from her... I don't know how she will react, she's gone from having loads of family around her to just me again... It's a lot y'know."

"I understand that…" Jesse nodded slowly, "After all, I've got kids of my own." He added, nodding towards the picture of his family on the desk. "And If I'm being honest… I knew you wouldn't be too please with extra hours but we really need you Carla, it's been mighty hard here without you."

"I bet." Carla smiled, At first Jada smiled too because her Mum was smiling but then she suddenly gasped and cried out,

"Mummy, Simba in car." Jada clasped her hands over her mouth dramatically, which made both Carla and Jesse laugh out loud. "He byself, he scared."

"He'll be alright for a bit, Jada." Carla said, kissing Jada on the head lovingly. "I promise you."

"She sounds different." Jesse said, smiling as he looked at Jada and then Carla who looked slightly confused.

"Does she?" She asked, wondering what her boss was getting at.

"Yeah, She sounds like she's picked up a cute little British accent." Jesse said, nodding, "I thought so before when she was saying hello to me…" Jesse's phone suddenly began to ring which made him say, "Excuse me." He nodded apologetically to Carla for the interruption as he picked up the phone and said "Hello, Jesse Mearson..."

Whilst he began talking down his phone, Carla looked at Jada who was sat on her knee and was sure that it would take a hell of a lot longer than three weeks for Jada's accent to sound as if it might have changed, At first she decided that her boss was probably just messing with her but after a few more moments, Carla couldn't help but over think things.

She was replaying what Jada had just said in her head and trying to figure out whether she really did sound different, not that Carla minded if Jada had picked up more of a British accent but to sit and think of those three short weeks even affecting Jada's speech was a little too much for Carla to process.

"Right…" Jesse said as he put his phone down onto the table, "Where were we?"

"Errrr, we were talking about how great I am n how you guys barley coped ere without me." Carla said with a smirk, Jesse nodded at her and reached over to a pile of papers, which he'd prepared earlier.

"It's not a joke… we really need you here… if you really insist I might be persuaded to change your hours…" Jesse said, standing up and handing Carla over a contract, "It's all in here..." Carla reached over and took hold of the contract, biting her lip as she did so.

"Oh right..." She said with another look at Jada.

"We really need you… but I know that your daughter does too." Jesse said, nodding his head understandingly and looking at Jada, "It's your call, Carla… You don't have to sign it if you don't want to." He added, watching Carla, who held a brand new work contract in one hand and Jada in the other.


End file.
